Educational Disadvantage

Thursday, 12 February 2026

Ceisteanna (121, 150, 196)

John Paul O'Shea

Ceist:

121. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the rollout of the DEIS Plus programme in Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9970/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Darren O'Rourke

Ceist:

150. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth when we can expect to see the introduction of the DEIS Plus scheme; the details of the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11008/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Paul Lawless

Ceist:

196. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the development and planned rollout of the new DEIS Plus scheme, commencing in September 2026; the way in which schools will be identified; the supports that will be provided; and the way in which the scheme will target students with the highest risk of educational disadvantage. [11016/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Youth

I propose to take Questions Nos. 121, 150 and 196 together.

Tackling educational disadvantage and helping students reach their full potential is a priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth.

The DEIS programme is a key policy initiative of Government to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level.

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 €16.5 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, which will commence this year.

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.

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 in the coming weeks. Future allocation of overall resources will be considered within the context of the new DEIS Strategy and the availability of resources.

Schools will not be required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS Plus scheme. The process to identify schools for inclusion will be evidence-informed, using available data.