Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 497: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of children in DEIS areas that actually go to DEIS schools; if there is any truth in the suggestion that up to 50% of children in disadvantaged areas do not attend local DEIS primary schools and if information exists at the post primary level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25285/10]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The process of identifying schools for participation in DEIS, was managed by the Educational Research Centre on behalf of the Department of Education & Science and supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department's Regional Offices and the Inspectorate. The ERC's overall approach was guided by the definition of educational disadvantage set out in the Education Act (1998), as: "...the impediments to education arising from social or economic disadvantage which prevent students from deriving appropriate benefit from education in schools".

The identification process was devised by the ERC and had regard to and employed the existing and most appropriate data sources available.

While the variables selected are, either individually or taken together, reasonable indicators of social disadvantage, it is when they present in high concentrations that they best predict educational disadvantage. This is commonly referred to as the 'social context'.

The evidence from research, which underpinned the 2005 identification process, underlines the relevance of the social context of disadvantage. The research strongly supports the view that educational disadvantage will occur, to the extent that supplementary supports will be necessary, in schools and school communities where socio economic disadvantage is most concentrated.

The majority of Irish schools will include among their enrolments a number of children who exhibit one or a number of 'disadvantage' characteristics. In most cases the school will be equipped to meet the individual needs of these children from within existing resources. Evidence has shown that disadvantage associated with poverty and social exclusion assumes a multiplier effect where the levels are highly concentrated in schools.

DEIS supports and measures are designed to address the needs of schools who require significant additional resources to supplement and support the mainstream teachers where the enrolment consists of a high percentage of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. This approach is in line with the broad thrust of the recommendations of the Comptroller and Auditor General which are set out in his report on Primary Disadvantage of 2006, which recommended that the Department focus its educational disadvantage measures on those schools serving the most disadvantaged communities.

The finding that up to 50% of children in disadvantaged areas do not attend local DEIS primary schools was made in the ESRI Report 'Investing in Education: Combating Educational Disadvantage' published in May 2009. The finding is a simple finding of fact and is not in dispute. The finding however does not lend itself to the conclusion that such children are further disadvantaged by not attending DEIS schools. In fact the ESRI report contained a range of views on this point including the view that schools with low levels of disadvantage have the capacity within universal supports to address the needs of disadvantaged students. It is important to note that only some 22% of schools (primary and post primary) are included in DEIS. The fact that 50% of disadvantaged students are enrolled in 22% of schools and a further 50% of disadvantaged students are dispersed throughout the remaining 78% of schools is a strong indication that DEIS is targeting the schools most in need of support.