Written answers

Wednesday, 11 May 2022

Department of Education and Skills

Disadvantaged Status

Photo of Catherine ConnollyCatherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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177. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools which had DEIS status for the 2021/2022 year, but which will not have DEIS status for the school year 2022/2023; the analysis her Department has carried out in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23773/22]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools is the main policy initiative of my Department to address educational disadvantage at school level. In the 2021/22 academic year there are 884 schools in the DEIS Programme - 687 Primary and 197 Post Primary, serving over 180,000 pupils. This represents approximately 20% of the overall school population. The list of schools currently in the DEIS programme is available at www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/4018ea-deis-delivering-equality-of-opportunity-in-schools/#deis-schools-2021-2022.

On the 9th March, I announced the expansion of the DEIS programme. This will see the programme extended to an additional 310 schools. In addition, 37 existing primary DEIS schools are being reclassified and eligible for increased supports. These schools were identified as having the highest levels of educational disadvantage. This now means that in the 2022/23 academic year there will be 1,194 schools in the DEIS Programme and it will support some 240,000 students or nearly 1 in 4 students will be supported in the programme. The full list of additional schools included in the DEIS programme, as well as details of supports those schools will receive can be found at www.gov.ie/en/publication/a3c9e-extension-of-deis-to-further-schools/

My Department is committed to ensuring that all schools are treated equally and fairly in the manner in which they have been identified for inclusion in the DEIS programme. Schools who were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data will now have the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed.

Circular 0019/2022 outlining the details of this appeals process was published on the 30th March by my Department and is available at www.gov.ie/en/circular/7e7ca-deis-identification-2022-appeals-process-for-schools/. Schools had until 5pm on Friday April 29th to submit an appeal. It is my Department’s intention to provide schools with the outcome of their appeal in the coming weeks to allow time for schools to plan for the 2022/23 school year.

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