Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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226. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 34 of 25 September 2024, if she will revisit her response and indicate if the school identified can be individually reviewed, with a view to increasing its available resources considering its very difficult circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39045/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The DEIS programme is designed to support schools with the highest levels of concentrated educational disadvantage in a targeted and equitable manner. Entry into the DEIS programme was determined by a refined identification model, which was applied uniformly to all schools. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the programme. A detailed paper on the refined DEIS identification model is available on gov.ie.

The refined DEIS identification model ensures that all schools are considered fairly and equally based on objective criteria, including socio-economic factors. The model has been applied consistently across the primary and post-primary sectors to determine which schools experience the greatest levels of concentrated disadvantage.

My department provides a wide range of additional supports to all schools, including those outside the DEIS programme, to address the needs of students who may be at risk of educational disadvantage. These supports include reduced class sizes and the provision of free schoolbooks up to Junior Cycle.

My department remains committed to ensuring that all students, regardless of the school they attend, are supported in achieving their full potential, and my officials will continue to monitor and review the effectiveness of the DEIS programme and broader education supports.

In July this year I welcomed the publication by the OECD Education for Inclusive Societies project of the ‘Review of Resourcing Schools to Address Educational Disadvantage in Ireland'. Over the coming months, my department will work closely with government agencies, education partners, and other stakeholders to develop and implement actions based on the OECD’s recommendations.

These efforts will build on the success of the DEIS programme by developing a dynamic resource allocation model that is responsive to changing needs, ensuring that schools, both DEIS and non-DEIS, are adequately supported.

The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. In previous budgets, I have prioritised reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools which has brought the teacher allocation ratio to an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils in all primary schools, the lowest level ever seen at primary level. Any further improvement would have to be considered as part of the overall budgetary process.

Monastery NS has been allocated an additional teaching post in the current school year. The school’s mainstream staffing has increased from 10 teachers last year to 11 in the 2024/25 school year.