Séamus Healy (Tipperary, Workers and Unemployed Action Group)
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164. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the new DEIS programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3798/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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A process to review the DEIS Programme has recently been completed and it is my intention to publish a new Action Plan for Educational Inclusion in the coming weeks.

The review process has looked comprehensively at all aspects of DEIS, including the range and impact of different elements of the School Support Programme, the potential for innovation within and between schools and its scope for increased integration of services provided by other Departments and Agencies, in order to improve effectiveness

The development of a new assessment framework using centrally held CSO and DES data for the identification of schools for inclusion in a new Programme is also included in the review process.  The number of schools to be included in the programme will be determined by this proposed new assessment framework, which will assess all schools in the country. Schools are not required to make an application for assessment as the methodology being developed involves the use of centrally held data already available to my Department.

A series of pilot schemes aimed at introducing measures shown to work well in improving results for disadvantaged students will be introduced.  Targeted measures to be included are, School Leadership, School networking/clustering, teaching methodologies, integration of all supports within communities, greater use of HSCL services.

Implementation of actions arising from the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion will begin in the 2017/18 school year, and will be a continuing theme in our wider Annual Action Plan for Education.