Written answers
Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Department of Education and Skills
School Facilities
Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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503. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on an appeal for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46473/24]
Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential. Supplementing the universal supports available to all schools, 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 in a targeted and equitable way across the primary and post-primary sector.
Following the largest ever expansion of the DEIS programme in 2022, benefitting 361 schools, the programme now includes in the region of 1,200 schools and supports approximately 260,000 students. This expansion added an additional €32 million to my department’s annual expenditure on the DEIS from 2023, bringing the overall annual allocation for the DEIS programme to over €180 million.
The previous government invited the OECD Strength Through Diversity: Education for Inclusive Societies project to review Ireland’s current policy approach for the allocation of resources to support students at risk of educational disadvantage. Last July my department welcomed the publication by the OECD Education for Inclusive Societies project of the ‘Review of Resourcing Schools to Address Educational Disadvantage in Ireland'.
The review finds that Ireland has an education system that consistently outperforms many other OECD countries but also exhibits relative socioeconomic fairness, making it one of the stronger performers globally. It also recognises the positive impact of resources provided universally to all schools, as well as the additional resources provided to schools in the DEIS programme, in addressing educational disadvantage.
The OECD review sets a number of recommendations for future policy, to bridge those gaps, improve equity and ensure every child and young person at risk of educational disadvantage is supported to achieve their potential in education. Over the coming months my department will work with other government departments and agencies, the education partners, and stakeholders across the education sector to develop tangible actions informed by the recommendations set out. These actions will aim to build on the success of the DEIS programme through the development of a dynamic resource allocation model that can respond to changing levels of need and ensure that all children and young people in both DEIS and non-DEIS schools are supported to achieve in education.
Recognising the need to target resources to those schools who need them most, a phase of work is currently underway to explore the allocation of resources, including the HSCL coordinator support, to schools to tackle educational disadvantage. Part of this programme of work will involve consultation with all relevant stakeholders. It is not envisaged that the current HSCL coordinator allocation to schools will be altered in advance of the completion of that review.
In regard to the appeal lodged by the school in question, and in accordance with Circular 0019/22 gov.ie - Extension of DEIS to further schools, schools that were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data were provided with the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed. The DEIS appeals process was applied fairly across all appellants, the window for appeals has now closed and the results are final.
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