Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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389. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to consider instating a further DEIS band (details supplied) for students in generationally disadvantaged areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43193/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a key policy initiative of my department to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level.

My department now spends over €180 million annually providing additional supports to just under 1,200 schools in the DEIS programme. This includes an additional €32 million allocated following my announcement to extend the programme from September 2022. This means that approximately 240,000 students, or one in four of all students are now supported in the programme.

Within the DEIS programme, 306 primary schools with the highest levels of educational disadvantage are included in DEIS Urban Band 1. In my time as Minister, I have provided three improvements to the staffing allocation for these schools. DEIS Urban Band 1 schools receive access to an enhanced staffing allocation of one teacher for every 17 pupils for junior schools, one teacher for every 19 pupils for combined schools, and one teacher for every 21 pupils for senior schools. This means that children in DEIS Urban Band 1 schools have more contact time with their teachers. DEIS Urban Band 1 schools also have access to the support of Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) coordinators , access to the school completion programme and receive additional funding by way of a DEIS grant. The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides priority access to their services for schools in this DEIS band. School leaders and teachers in these schools also receive priority access to professional learning through Oide, in order to support them to meet the needs of their pupils.

However, I am aware of the proposal referred to by the Deputy and I have met with a selection of the principals of the schools involved. I recognise that more work is required to ensure that all children, regardless of background, have the opportunity to achieve their potential in education.

That is why my department has undertaken a programme of work to explore the allocation of resources to schools to address educational disadvantage. To support this work, my department has invited the OECD Strength Through Diversity: Education for Inclusive Societies Project to review the current policy approach for the allocation of resources to support students at risk of educational disadvantage in Ireland. This review found that while Ireland has a comparatively equitable education system, and the DEIS programme is a key instrument in that, gaps remains in relation to the outcomes for children from areas of high deprivation.

The OECD review was complimented by a programme of work by my department to develop a future policy for resource allocation to address educational disadvantage. This work involved consultations with around 250 principals and teachers of both primary and post-primary schools. This included a number of principals from these most acutely disadvantaged schools and provided rich data for the team to inform this work.

Therefore, please be assured that this work will consider the issues and barriers that are impacting children and young people in schools with the highest concentrations of educational disadvantage. The findings of this report, together with the broad range of consultations and analysis being undertaken by my department are currently being considered to inform future policy in this area.