Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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671. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the DEIS banding for a school (details supplied) given that over 20% of pupils are living in IPAS or emergency accommodation and 26% live in the North East Inner City (NEIC) area; when the next DEIS review will take place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58104/25]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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672. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider extending North East Inner City (NEIC) or City Connects inclusion to a school (details supplied), given the school's pupil profile and the fact that its feeder schools already hold DEIS 1 status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58105/25]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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674. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if additional staffing or resource supports will be considered for a school (details supplied), given the exceptionally high proportion of pupils living in emergency and IPAS accommodation, the current exclusion from DEIS 1 and North East Inner City (NEIC) supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58107/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 671, 672 and 674 together.

Tackling education disadvantage is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth. The DEIS programme supports almost 1,200 primary and post primary schools reaching approximately 260,000 students, with an annual investment of €180 million.

The DEIS programme is targeted at schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage. Schools that were included in the most recent expansion of the programme in 2022 were those with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage as identified through the refined DEIS identification model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme, and the model was applied fairly and equally to all schools. A detailed paper on the refined DEIS identification model is available on gov.ie.

Schools were identified for inclusion in the DEIS programme based on their standardised disadvantage score. Schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage scores are included in the DEIS programme, with those urban primary schools having the very highest levels of disadvantage being assigned Urban Band 1.

It is possible for two neighbouring schools to have a different profile in terms of proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and the relative weighting of disadvantage apportioned in each. The designation of neighbouring schools to different DEIS status does not mean that there is no educational disadvantage present in one school, but that the concentrated level of educational disadvantage of the two schools is different. Gender of students, or the designation of a school as single or mixed is not a factor in the DEIS identification model.

I am committed to narrowing the performance gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and introducing innovative solutions to address disadvantage. A new DEIS plan will be published this year, which will include a DEIS plus scheme. The new DEIS Plan will focus on improving the opportunities and achievement levels of children at risk of educational disadvantage, developing more innovative approaches to tackling educational disadvantage, and working towards a more flexible system of supports to ensure that a school can receive the right support at the right time.

Any future changes to the identification model and overall allocation of resources will be considered within the context of the new DEIS plan.

In relation to NEIC supports, the Deputy will be aware that in 2016, the Irish Government launched a major initiative for Dublin’s North East Inner City, or NEIC, to oversee the long term social and economic regeneration of the area to positively impact the community and families in the area. My department is involved in a number of NEIC initiatives in NEIC primary schools, including City Connects. This programme is led by my department and Tusla Education Support Service (TESS), in conjunction with the National Centre for City Connects in Ireland (NCCCI) located in Mary Immaculate College, and Boston College. City Connects is a system originally developed by Boston College that organises student support and leverages existing school and community-based resources in order to improve students’ academic and social-emotional outcomes.

In order to be classified as an NEIC primary school, the primary school must be a DEIS school located within the NEIC. The school the Deputy is referring to is not located in the NEIC, and does not have DEIS status. Ten primary schools located within the NEIC with DEIS status, in addition to having the highest percentage of pupils enrolled who live in the NEIC, are classified as NEIC primary schools.

My department is committed to supporting a quality and inclusive school system that provides an equal opportunity at success for all children, including those living in emergency or IPAS accommodation. We are continuing to examine how the model of intervention in the NEIC could be extended to other comparative areas experiencing disadvantage.