Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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96. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to broaden the criteria to allow more schools to be classified as DEIS schools; and if she will ensure that schools, such as one in County Clare (details supplied) which takes in students from three DEIS schools, are classified as DEIS as a consequence. [30557/25]

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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I acknowledge that there was an expansion of the DEIS programme in 2022. Given that we are in a cost-of-living crisis, will the Minister consider ordering another review and expansion of the programme? Will she also order a review of the qualification criteria with a view to broadening them out so more schools can be included in the programme? Can she also confirm that the period to appeal the 2022 expansion closed that year and will she consider an open-ended appeals process?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Tackling educational disadvantage and, in particular, supporting students who are most at risk or in need of support to achieve their full potential is a priority for me, for the Minister of State and for this Government. The DEIS programme is a key policy of the Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. It provides a targeted range of supports and is additional to the universal supports provided to all schools, such as the introduction of free schoolbooks and free hot school meals. My Department invests over €180 million annually to provide additional supports to almost 1,200 schools in the DEIS programme and this supports approximately 260,000 students. One in four students is currently attending a DEIS school and getting those additional supports.

I am determined to close the performance gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools even further, because it has closed due to the introduction of this scheme, and to introduce more innovative solutions to tackle disadvantage. The programme itself has changed and opened up in the years since it was first introduced in September 2006. In 2017, it was extended to an additional 79 schools. It was then extended to 332 additional schools on top of that from September 2022. The Deputy mentioned that timeline. Included in those most recent expansions of the programme were the schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage. This was identified through a refined DEIS identification model. Schools could not apply but essentially had it applied to them. I know some schools could appeal based on information that they felt had not been updated or that they had provided. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion, as I said. The detailed paper on the refined DEIS identification model is available on gov.ie. If we are to build on the expansion of the DEIS programme, and this is what we are doing now, I clearly said when I came into this Department that we wanted to introduce a new DEIS plan. It is in that context that any changes would potentially take place. I wish to ensure we have a programme that works for as many students as possible, is as targeted as possible and is applied in as fair a way as possible. Any changes to the application process or to the way it is applied that might allow newer schools in will have to be done as part of the new plan. It is intended that it will be published by the end of this year.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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Go raibh maith agat. Some secondary schools receive pupils from DEIS primary schools but they are not classified as DEIS schools themselves. In my constituency, St. Patrick's Comprehensive School is one of those schools that receives DEIS pupils. All of a sudden, there is a cliff edge for those pupils suddenly missing out on supports they badly need. These pupils are often from households suffering deprivation, so receiving extra help with learning, subsidised schools meals and help with the cost of schoolbooks, etc., is essential for the entire family. Payment rates for the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance are slightly higher this year but a far cry from those of 2011. I urge the Minister to order a new review to ensure those schools turned down for this DEIS expansion are able to appeal and are able to apply again for inclusion in the DEIS programme. It is extremely unfair for those pupils coming from DEIS primary schools not to receive the same supports in their secondary schools.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy and appreciate the example she outlined. I know in some situations there may be two schools next to each other where one is included in DEIS and the other is not. Siblings from the same household might even be going to both schools. Because of the way the DEIS programme is applied now, it is based on the population in the school and it is possible to have differentiations. Even though students might be coming from three DEIS schools into another school, the overall make-up of the school may not hit the DEIS criteria or fit the bands or levels. I wish to ensure - it is difficult because there will always be somebody outside of the criteria that we have to put in place - that children in non-DEIS schools still get that support. This is really important in the context of the new DEIS plan, as is the case now.

We have several pilots under way that involve schools getting the home school liaison and school completion programmes even though they are not designated as DEIS schools. It is about expanding this out. Historically, we know there are schools that had those positions even before the DEIS programme was in place. There is one in Navan, where I recently met students. The only reason those students are still in school and doing their leaving certificate is because of those positions. I hope the new plan will create as fair a system and structure as possible and also ensure that where schools are not designated, and some of them will not be, they can still get those targeted supports directly to the students who need them.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome that. Hopefully, the expansion of this scheme will come in, especially for those in need and those in disadvantaged areas.

We have seen a dramatic rise in the number of children in child poverty in the past year. It now exceeds 100,000 children, according to the Central Statistics Office. That is certain to mean that the deprivation profile of some of the schools that did not qualify in 2022 has deteriorated to the point where they may now qualify. While the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 pledged to reduce consistent poverty to 2%, it was at 3.6% in 2023 and has actually increased to 5% in the latest figures. These are households that our school pupils come from. It is no wonder, therefore, that child poverty has increased even more dramatically. According to the Child Poverty Monitor, the rate of consistent poverty among children has almost doubled, from 4% in 2023 to 8.5% in 2024. This shows the clear need for these schools to be brought in under DEIS.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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More broadly, I wish to highlight that the child poverty unit established by my former colleague and our former Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, is still there in the Department of the Taoiseach. We continue to work together to look at ways in which we can support the most vulnerable. The DEIS programme is key to that. It is not just the new DEIS plan but also the DEIS plus scheme we have committed to in our programme for Government. Work is well under way in that regard. It is about ensuring we do everything possible to support those most acutely at risk, such as those suffering from intergenerational trauma and children who are not at school.

As well as building on DEIS plan that is being worked through the DEIS plus programme, I have announced a number of measures to deal with absenteeism. If our children are not in school, we cannot give them the support and every opportunity they need. It is really important we build on the positive work that is being done. Overall, it is about getting the supports to the children who need them. We will continue to have designated schools, but we will also continue to have children in schools that are not part of a DEIS programme. We need to ensure those children receive the resources as well. I am absolutely committed to working with everyone to make sure that happens.