Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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186. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will meet representatives of a school (detail supplied) to discuss the exclusion of the school from the recent extension to the DEIS scheme, in view of the social exclusion and diversity of the school pupils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17674/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that I am not in a position to meet representatives from individual schools in relation to these matters.

The key data sources used in the DEIS identification process are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases, and CSO 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. 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.

I am satisfied that the new DEIS Identification Model used to assess the level of disadvantage among the pupil cohort of a school has been applied fairly using centrally held data adopting an objective and scientific approach which has been uniformly applied for all schools in the country.

Full details of the process involved in the assessment of schools is available on my Departments website at www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/.

I also wish to inform the Deputy that a communication to all schools will issue shortly to provide information on the identification model including details of how the datasets are used to determine a schools level of disadvantage; the importance of data quality to the process and the need for schools to provide detailed and up to date information to my Department's online pupil databases.

In terms of the process to date, as I have already pointed out, the position in relation to the new model is that, in its initial application, it has identified that there are schools not previously included in DEIS, whose level of concentrated disadvantage is significantly higher than many schools already in the programme. Accordingly, I am moving as a first step to include these schools within the DEIS School Support Programme.

It is important to note that this is a first step in a process and the fact that a school has not been included now does not preclude its inclusion at a later date should the assessment indicate a level of disadvantage that warrants additional supports. As I have also previously stated, I am fully aware that there are further schools whose concentrated level of disadvantage may not be at the highest level, but may nevertheless be at a level which warrants additional supports for pupils under DEIS.

The implementation of the 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. The completion of this work will inform ongoing provision and consideration will be given to extending DEIS supports to a further group of schools as resources permit.