Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley.

I thank the Senator for raising this issue about DEIS schools. Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools is the main policy initiative of this Government to tackle educational disadvantage at school level. Budget 2022 has provided for an allocation of €18 million for 2022 and €32 million for 2023 to extend the DEIS programme to further schools with the highest levels of disadvantage. This represents an increase in funding for the DEIS programme of over one fifth. This year the Department of Education will spend in the region of €150 million on providing supports for schools in DEIS. The programme supports 884 schools and over 180,000 learners. This investment includes providing for over 400 home school community liaison co-ordinators, in the region of €16 million in DEIS grants, additional posts for DEIS band 1 primary schools, curriculum supports, enhanced book grants and access to the school completion programme. Schools in the DEIS programme can also avail of the school meals programme which is provided by the Department of Social Protection.

This package follows an extensive body of work which has been undertaken by the DEIS technical group regarding the development of a model to identify the concentrated levels of disadvantage of schools. This group contains representatives of the Department of Education's statistics and social inclusion units, the inspectorate and the Educational Research Centre. This work involved an initial process of consultation by the Department with the education partners on the technical aspects of the model. The purpose is to ensure that, as far as possible, the refined DEIS identification model can provide an objective and independent means of identifying schools serving high concentrations of pupils at risk of educational disadvantage and also to ensure there is a full understanding of the refined model and its potential application.

The DEIS identification process under DEIS plan 2017 is an objective, statistics-based process, based on school enrolment data and Central Statistics Office data from the national census of population as represented in the Pobal HP index for small areas, which is a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area. It is important to note that schools are not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and all schools will be considered under the refined model. It is also important to note that educational outcomes do not play any part in the identification of schools for inclusion in the DEIS programme at either primary or post-primary level.

The programme for Government set out a commitment to: "Complete the new DEIS identification model, ensuring the extension of DEIS status to schools that are identified as being suitable". This additional funding under budget 2022 has been provided for the extension of DEIS supports to those schools with the highest levels of concentrated educational disadvantage that are not currently in the programme and will allow for that commitment to be achieved. I thank the Senator for raising this matter.