Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

537. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which DEIS Plus resources will be allocated; if she will ensure that all eligible schools will have access to these resources before the end of the 2025-2026 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61776/25]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

542. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will set out the implementation timeline for DEIS Plus, including key milestones between now and September 2026; when detailed guidance and funding allocations will issue to participating schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61790/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 542 and 537 together.

The DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. The Minister for Education and Youth is determined to close the performance gap between DEIS and non-DEIS and introduce more innovative solutions to tackle disadvantage.

Currently, the DEIS programme supports almost 1,200 primary and post-primary schools, reaching approximately 260,000 students with an annual investment of over €180 million. Budget 2026 allocates an additional €16 million in 2026, rising to €48 million in 2027, to support the implementation of the new DEIS Strategy and to introduce the DEIS plus scheme commencing in September 2026.

The DEIS plus scheme will provide additional support to schools with the highest levels of need, in line with the Government's commitment. The details of the DEIS plus scheme are currently being finalised within an overall programme of work to tackle educational disadvantage and will be outlined in the new DEIS Strategy.

Any future expansion of the DEIS programme and the allocation of funding will be determined as part of the new DEIS Strategy which will be published before the end of the year.

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

538. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will confirm that resources and funding provided under the new DEIS Plus initiative will be allocated directly to schools, rather than channelled through intermediary agencies, so that school leaders can target supports based on the specific needs of their pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61786/25]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

540. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will outline plans for the provision of multidisciplinary teams under DEIS Plus, including counsellors, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and psychologists, working directly in schools to support children’s learning and wellbeing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61788/25]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

541. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide details of how DEIS Plus will support trauma-informed educational practice in schools, including through additional staffing, dedicated spaces such as nurture rooms, and training supports for teachers and school staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61789/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 538, 540 and 541 together.

Currently, the DEIS programme supports almost 1,200 primary and post-primary schools, reaching approximately 260,000 students, with an annual investment of over €180 million. Budget 2026 allocates an additional €16 million in 2026, rising to €48 million in 2027, to support the implementation of the new DEIS Strategy and introduce the DEIS Plus scheme, which will commence in 2026.

To inform the development of the DEIS Plus scheme, a design advisory group was established including school principals, Home School Community Liaison officers, and School Completion Programme coordinators - professionals who work directly with children experiencing high levels of disadvantage.

The DEIS Plus scheme will provide additional support to schools with the highest levels of need, in line with the Government’s commitment. It will target a cohort of schools with high concentrations of children and young people experiencing intergenerational disadvantage where there is a significant gap in outcomes and there are barriers to those children and young people achieving their potential.

Schools will not be required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS Plus scheme. The process will be evidence-informed, using available data. The details of the DEIS Plus scheme are currently being finalised within an overall programme of work to tackle educational disadvantage and will be outlined in the new DEIS Strategy, which will be published before the end of the year. Future allocation of overall resources will be considered within the context of the new DEIS Strategy and the availability of resources.