Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 June 2026
84. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education and Youth education if consideration was given to DEIS+ status for a school (details supplied); if this was considered and ruled out and if she will provide details of the decision making process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44250/26]
View answerAddressing educational disadvantage and ensuring that every child and young person can reach their full potential is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth and for the Government. The new DEIS Plus scheme, which will commence 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 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 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. A paper detailing the DEIS Plus Identification model is available on gov.ie.
Following an assessment of the past three years’ enrolment data, only those schools identified as having the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage were included in the scheme. If a school was not identified for inclusion, this does not imply that there is no disadvantage within the school community. While many schools experience significant need, not all met the threshold for inclusion at this stage.
The department also 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.
Schools will continue to be supported through the range of additional resources provided through the DEIS programme and wider DEIS Strategy to 2035 measures. Any future allocation of resources will be considered over the lifetime of the DEIS Strategy to 2035 and in the context of available resources.
