Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for selecting this matter and I thank the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, for attending.

Everybody acknowledges that the DEIS programme to combat disadvantage in schools at primary and post-primary level has been a significant success since its introduction. Under the DEIS programme additional resources have been made available to the relevant primary and post-primary schools to deal with disadvantage. All Members also accept the importance of identifying areas of significant disadvantage in both urban and rural areas, which is done under the DEIS programme, measuring the level of disadvantage in as scientific a manner as possible and providing the type of resources that are necessary to combat that disadvantage. We accept that society benefits enormously from retaining children who come from a disadvantaged background in education and ensuring that they can maximise their potential while within the education system.

The issue is that the DEIS programme has effectively been closed down since approximately 2011. The Minister did not do it; her predecessor was somewhat involved in the process. The outcome of the closure of the DEIS programme to new entrants means that newly developed schools, schools that have merged and newly built schools have not been in a position to avail of the resources available to other schools previously existing in the DEIS programme. It is difficult to quantify the number of schools at issue. I estimate approximately 30 new primary schools were built between 2011 and 2013, but I am not sure how many post-primary schools have been developed from 2011 to now.

I have a certain interest in this because I chaired the board of a post-primary community school created through the amalgamation of three post-primary schools, two of which had disadvantaged or DEIS status. It is virtually incomprehensible that, although the feeder schools to this school have DEIS status and two of the schools that formed part of the new entity had DEIS status, the new entity itself does not. There is something fundamentally unfair, unreasonable and wrong about this.

I understand that the Minister is undertaking a review and that she has set up an interdepartmental working group to ensure a joined-up approach to the delivery of services. She has set up a technical group to develop a revised identification process for schools that might be brought into whatever new system is created.

The students from disadvantaged backgrounds need the intervention now. That they have been without that intervention since 2011 is offensive. That the Department is setting up some sort of framework to examine how they might be included in the future will inevitably give rise to undesirable circumstances. The students who are going through primary school and will subsequently go through post-primary school will have only one chance of availing of supports but if those supports are not in place now, they will not be able to avail of them.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I thank Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl for raising this issue. On a point of clarification, it was long before 2011 that schools were no longer allowed enter the DEIS scheme. In fact, very few were admitted after 2005. There was a very small number admitted up to 2009. After that, the scheme has not reopened for new schools.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Was Deputy Ruairí Quinn not going to give it the chop altogether?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The aim of the DEIS programme is to ensure the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities are prioritised and effectively addressed. As the Deputy may be aware, last month saw the publication of a report, Learning from the Evaluation of DEIS, which was commissioned by my Department from the ESRI. This report assesses the main findings of research and evaluations carried out to date on the DEIS programme. This research was conducted by the Educational Research Centre and the inspectorate of my Department. It reviews other Irish and international related research on educational disadvantage and provides advice to inform future policy direction on educational disadvantage. The report highlights some of the encouraging findings concerning the performance of schools catering for the highest concentrations of educational disadvantage. A change in approach within DEIS schools is evident, with a significant improvement in planning for teaching and learning and in setting targets for achievement. There has been a significant improvement over time in literacy test scores among students in designated disadvantaged primary schools. Levels of non-attendance between urban primary schools and non-DEIS urban schools have narrowed.

Following the publication of the ESRI report, I announced a process for the renewal of the DEIS programme. I have already commenced consultation with the education partners to inform the development of appropriate measures to continue to support those at risk of poor educational outcomes. Submissions are expected to be returned to my Department within the next week.

Socioeconomic differences in educational outcomes cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader social context. The interconnectedness of different domains of children's lives points to the importance of joined-up thinking between educational policy and broader social policy. Therefore, I am also establishing an interdepartmental working group to ensure a joined-up approach to the delivery of services in future policy on educational disadvantage.

A technical working group will consider what eligibility criteria are now appropriate to re-identify the level of need in schools. This work will take place over the course of the 2015-16 school year. The outcome of this process will form part of an overall proposal for the delivery of future interventions to tackle educational disadvantage. Any revised identification process for schools will be clearly set out and communicated to schools. All schools that meet the set criteria will be included.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I commend the Minister on what she is proposing to do. Nobody could disagree with her proposals but, meanwhile back at the ranch, children are going through primary and post-primary schools that warrant DEIS classification but which do not have the resources required. She is effectively saying to the students she will not be able to do anything for them and that they will have to continue within their primary or post-primary schools under such circumstances, despite there being a cohort of students in DEIS-categorised schools that she will look after. She is implying she will look after children in the non-DEIS schools at some time in the future when the commissioned reports are brought forward.

I examined data on one of the schools only today. An analysis of the second-year students in that school showed that 77% were at or below the 50th percentile in verbal reasoning. Some 76% of the students in third year were at or below the 50th percentile. We all know the importance being attributed to mathematics. With regard to numerical ability in the school in question, 87% of the students in the second year were at or below the 50th percentile, while 82% of the students in third year were below the 50th percentile. We have got to do something for children in such circumstances.

When one couples the failure to expand and develop the DEIS programme to keep pace with the expansion of schools with the fact that the Department took away the guidance support service that so many schools had, one realises a dreadful disservice is being done to disadvantaged students, in particular.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I remind Deputy Ó Fearghaíl again that after the DEIS scheme was set up in 2005, a handful of schools got in up to 2009. After 2009, no schools got in. The kinds of schools the Deputy is talking about, which were amalgamated and so on, could not get in either from 2009.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister should change it. It is not good enough.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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That is precisely why I have decided to change it. We have to produce figures to determine which should be in and which should be out.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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What is happening to children in the meantime?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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We have to decide on the criteria.

Totally new schools that were founded since 2009 did not get in either. Therefore, there is a problem. I am addressing it but it will take time to identify exactly which schools should be included and which should not. We need to ensure we provide the funding that is necessary. Inevitably, there will be more schools coming in. I do not want to cut the budgets of schools that are already in the DEIS scheme; nobody in this House would want to do so. Therefore, I will have to identify the funding that will be required for the schools that will be eligible under the new procedures. However, we have started work on this already and will work as quickly as we can. Doing the work within one year is difficult enough. It is a tight deadline. There are very detailed technical specifications that have to be worked out. We will do the work in the timeframe and announce our decision as soon as we can.

I have a very strong commitment to educational disadvantage and always have had. I want to ensure that we include as many schools as possible in the DEIS scheme so we can have more equality of opportunity for all children in schools.