Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, to the Seanad. I thank him for taking this Commencement matter, which is about the DEIS, that is, delivering equality of opportunity in schools. Schools have not been assessed for years for DEIS and, as such, schools cannot get DEIS status. This has been going on since 2015. A small number of schools were added in 2017 but no schools have since been added to the DEIS programme. This is a huge issue.

A Department of Education report states that schools in higher level of disadvantage are outside of the DEIS programme. DEIS supports include reduced class size, which means more staff, additional funding, access to literacy and numeracy programmes, the home-school community liaison which is funded through Tusla, the school completion programme to support students in second level to progress to third level, again funded through Tusla, and access to the school meals programme through the Department of Social Protection.

I first tabled a Commencement matter on this topic in April this year. In October, I made statements about the urgency of the DEIS identification model. I am again raising the issue today. In welcome the announcement by the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, with regard to the roll-out of the hot school meals programme to a further 55,000 students. That is so welcome but, again, this is for existing DEIS schools. In the recent budget, the Government made available an additional €18 million for 2022, with €32 million planned for 2023, to extend the DEIS programme to schools with disadvantage. That is an increase of more than 20% in that budget. What is the status of the technical group that is putting together the model of DEIS school identification? This process has been going on for years. What are the elements and the eligibility criteria?I believe the Minister, Deputy Foley, has noted there will not be an application system for this programme. How, therefore, are schools to be evaluated? Is it going to be based on a census that is not happening until April of next year? Are we going to have to wait until the census and gathering of data is done? That is just not good enough.

In Ballinasloe we have a DEIS band 1 primary school with additional supports in place for children, though Scoil an Chroi Naofa is still awaiting capital funding for a school building. However, there are no supports at secondary school level in my town. Perhaps we are very special in my town and disadvantage disappears at the age of 12. It is just magically gone - poof, and there is no disadvantage. That would be absolutely fantastic but in the real world that is not the case. I repeat the quote from the home school community liaison, HSCL, there who stated:

The retention of pupils following transfer to secondary school here in Ballinasloe, particularly amongst boys, is challenging. Children leave sixth class having had huge levels of support in primary with DEIS initiatives such as the breakfast club, school lunches, homework club, HSCL and SCP support, affordable book rental schemes, parenting courses, one-to-one pupil parent support targeted at work and attendance including regular home visits with the HSCL and educational welfare officers and so on. These supports are not available in non-DEIS secondary schools. As such, pupils start out in secondary schools at a disadvantage. They quickly disengage and then ultimately we are faced with school drop-outs.

I have also received a letter from a principal in Gortaganny, Loughglinn, County Roscommon. Loughglinn is on the county boundary with Mayo. It is less than 5 km to Ballyhaunis and it is very close to the direct provision centre. In 2014, the school applied for DEIS status and was unsuccessful. There are 89 pupils, 23 of whom are from the direct provision centre. The school reapplied in 2017 and again was unsuccessful. At the moment, over 62% of the children in the school in Loughglinn are coming from direct provision centres. These children are at huge disadvantage. They probably do not even have English as their first language. They need things like first steps reading recovery and maths recovery. It would be invaluable. They need extra support. The current Miss Ireland, Pamela Uba, is a former pupil of the school and would have resided in the direct provision centre in Ballyhaunis. It is all about equality and inclusion but there is no equality of opportunity when children and schools in areas of severe disadvantage cannot access supports.