Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 September 2026
405. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding a review or assessment available for a school (details supplied) in relation to their allocation under the home school community liaison; and her views whether the current allocation is sufficient. [68667/26]
View answer412. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the case of a school (details supplied) seeking a review of its shared Home School Community Liaison allocation has been brought to her attention; if her Department will afford the school an opportunity to present evidence of its current level of need; and if the allocation will be reviewed on that basis. [68720/26]
View answer415. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth the mechanism available to a DEIS school to seek a review of its Home School Community Liaison allocation where the school can demonstrate that its existing allocation no longer meets current need; if no such mechanism exists, the means by which a school in that position may seek additional provision; and whether interim arrangements will be considered pending the new DEIS resource allocation model provided for under Action 2.2.2 of the implementation plan. [68718/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 405, 412 and 415 together.
Addressing educational disadvantage in all schools remains a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth.
The HSCL scheme is a core element of the DEIS programme and forms part of the wider Tusla Education Support Service (TESS). HSCL coordinators work directly with parents/guardians, school staff and relevant community services to strengthen engagement between home, school and the wider community, with the aim of improving attendance, participation and retention for children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage.
The DEIS Strategy to 2035 and its first three-year implementation plan were launched in March 2026. The strategy sets out the department’s long-term vision to address educational disadvantage in all schools. Under Strategic Objective 2.2 the strategy sets out actions to develop an agile resource allocation model to support children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage in all primary and post-primary schools. These actions focus on the continued enhancement of the data available to measure school level disadvantage and for the development of a more flexible resource allocation model that can react to change in school needs and provide the right resources at the right time.
In light of this ongoing work, there is currently no provision to review an individual school’s HSCL allocation. Any future additional allocation of resources under the DEIS programme will be considered over the lifetime of the DEIS Strategy to 2035 and in the context of available resources.
