Written answers

Wednesday, 5 April 2017

Department of Education and Skills

DEIS Status

Photo of Bríd SmithBríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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83. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the criteria for DEIS status, in view of the fact that a school in an area (details supplied) has been refused DEIS status while surrounding schools in the same socioeconomic area have attained it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16539/17]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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DEIS Plan 2017 provides for a new identification model for assessment of a school's level of disadvantage using centrally held data. The key data sources are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases and the CSO Small Area of Population (SAP) data from Census 2011 as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation Index (HP Index). This data  provides information on the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in the pupil cohort of each individual school and is applied uniformly across all schools in the country, including schools in the area mentioned by the Deputy. Variables used in the compilation of the HP Index include those related to demographic growth, dependency ratios, education levels, single parent rate, overcrowding, social class, occupation and unemployment rates. This data is combined with pupil data, anonymised and aggregated to small area, to provide information on the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in the pupil cohort of individual schools.

In its initial application, the new identification model has identified that there are schools in disadvantaged areas, not previously included in DEIS, whose level of disadvantage is at the same level as the current DEIS category for schools serving the highest concentrations of disadvantage.  Accordingly, we are moving as a first step to include these schools in the DEIS Programme with effect from September 2017.

The implementation of a new objective central data-based model of identifying levels of disadvantage within school populations will be followed by a further programme of work to create a more dynamic model where levels of resource more accurately follow the levels of need identified by that model. Once this work has been completed, consideration will be given to extending DEIS supports to a further group of schools as resources permit.

The next phase of the identification process will be to update the model to take account of 2016 National Census data and 2016/17 online pupil data.  These updated data will facilitate a further assessment of all schools and will be possible when the updated datasets are available later this year.

The DEIS Plan provides for a verification process and any school wishing to seek verification of the information used to assess the level of disadvantage of its pupil cohort may submit an application for same to social_inclusion@education.gov.ie

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