Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 May 2026
315. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason a school (details supplied) was not included in the most recent allocation of DEIS Plus status; the criteria applied in assessing the school’s eligibility; and whether the decision will be reviewed. [36426/26]
View answerAddressing educational disadvantage and ensuring that every child and young person can reach their full potential is a key priority the Minister for Education and Youth and for the Government. The new DEIS Plus scheme, which will commence this year, 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 121 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.
This approach ensures that additional resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact, and forms a core element of the wider €48 million full-year investment across both the DEIS Strategy and the DEIS Plus scheme. Approximately 30,000 children and young people attending DEIS Plus schools will benefit from these targeted supports.
The DEIS Plus scheme aims to address persistent and intergenerational disadvantage. Therefore, for the purposes of identifying schools for inclusion in the DEIS Plus scheme, only Urban Band 1 schools already in the DEIS programme were considered. Further information on the identification process can be found at gov.ie/deis.
