John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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315. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the outcome of the assessment of DEIS Plus status for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50564/26]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Addressing educational disadvantage and ensuring that every child and young person can reach their full potential is a key priority for me, the Minister for Education and Youth, and for the Government. The new DEIS Plus scheme, which commenced this year and was launched as part of the DEIS Strategy to 2035, represents the most significant expansion of targeted supports since the establishment of DEIS. DEIS Plus is designed to provide enhanced, evidence-based supports to a cohort of schools with the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage, identified through a refined data-based model that draws on a range of indicators associated with persistent and intergenerational disadvantage.

The DEIS Strategy to 2035 also acknowledges that students at risk of educational disadvantage are present in all schools. It therefore focuses on improving outcomes, encouraging innovation and ensuring schools can access the right supports when needed.

As part of the DEIS Plus identification process, the DEIS Plus identification model was applied nationally to DEIS Urban Band 1 primary schools and DEIS post-primary schools. Using this model, schools were identified for inclusion in the DEIS Plus scheme through an objective and data-based approach that applies nationally available indicators consistently across all schools.

The department recognises that some schools are operating in the context of complex local pressures within their wider communities. While these challenges are often well understood locally, they are not always captured in datasets that can be fairly and consistently applied across the entire school system. A rules-based national model must consider all schools on the same basis; it cannot substitute locally held knowledge for data that are not available or comparable nationwide.

The school referenced was not included within the cohort of schools to which the DEIS Plus identification process applied. Accordingly, the school was not considered as part of the DEIS Plus identification process or the associated appeals process.

It is important to stress that a school not identified through the DEIS Plus model does not in any way imply that the department is saying that disadvantage does not exist within that school community. The DEIS Strategy to 2035 recognises that students at risk of educational disadvantage are present in all schools and sets out a long-term approach to addressing educational disadvantage across the education system.

My department and I will continue to engage with school communities and education stakeholders regarding the implementation of the DEIS Strategy to 2035 and the range of supports available to schools serving communities experiencing educational disadvantage. Any future allocation of resources will be considered over the lifetime of the DEIS Strategy to 2035 and in the context of available resources.