Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 April 2026
479. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Education and Youth the criteria that was used to determine DEIS Plus status; if the results will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27900/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am pleased to have launched the DEIS Plus scheme on 25 March 2026. This scheme targets additional resources at a small cohort of 121 schools that have been identified as having the very highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage.
The DEIS Plus scheme is a key action in the DEIS Strategy to 2035, which sets the overall policy direction of my department to address educational disadvantage in all schools and to remove barriers that prevent children and young people from achieving their potential through education. This includes the development of more innovative and responsive approaches to supporting schools to address educational disadvantage, including the development of a more dynamic resource allocation model for DEIS that can more quickly adapt to the needs identified in schools.
DEIS Plus is part of an overall package of €48 million of additional targeted supports to address educational disadvantage. This package benefits over 700 schools, both DEIS and non-DEIS. It is the largest single year increase in funding for DEIS, bringing the overall annual allocation to €228 million from 2027. This allocation provides additional teachers, leadership posts, funding and enhanced access to professional learning and the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) for schools in the DEIS programme. It also supports access for those schools to the Home-School-Community Liaison scheme and School Completion Programme.
Schools have been identified for inclusion in the DEIS Plus scheme using the DEIS Plus identification model, an objective and data-based approach using nationally available indicators applied consistently across all schools. The identification model is underpinned by a range of administrative data on every child and young person enrolled in primary and post-primary school. This data includes:
• The Pobal HP Deprivation Index for the small area in which the child or young person lives, obtained through the child’s or young person’s address data provided by their school on the DEY Primary Online Database (POD) or the Post-Primary Online Database (PPOD).
• The child’s or young person’s ethnicity if provided by their school on POD or PPOD.
• If the child’s or young person’s address on POD or PPOD matches an address of State-funded homeless accommodation.
• If the child’s or young person’s address on POD or PPOD matches an address of an International Protection Accommodation Centre (IPAS) or Emergency Reception and Orientation Centre (EROC).
The DEIS Plus identification model includes the addition of a DEIS Plus index. The DEIS Plus index was developed by the department’s statistics unit to support the identification of schools for DEIS Plus. The DEIS Plus index uses the same factors as the Pobal HP Deprivation Index but places greater weight on lone parenthood and unemployment, which have been widely identified as key factors in persistent and intergenerational disadvantage.
Children and young people from ‘very disadvantaged’ or ‘extremely disadvantaged areas’ (HP score -20 under either Pobal HP Deprivation Index or the DEIS Plus index), residing in State-funded emergency accommodation, residing in IPAS or EROC accommodation or identifying as Traveller or Roma are designated priority cohorts within the model. Further information on the identification process is available on gov.ie/deis.
Following an assessment of the past three years’ data, only those schools identified as having the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage have been included in the scheme. If a school has not been identified for inclusion, this does not imply there is no disadvantage in the school community. While many schools experience significant need, not all will meet the statistical threshold for inclusion at this stage. Schools will continue to be supported through the range of additional resources provided through the DEIS programme.
My department is committed to ensuring that all schools are treated equally and fairly in the manner in which they have been identified for inclusion in the DEIS Plus scheme. Schools that were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS Plus identification model to their school enrolment data will have the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed. The appeals window will open after the Easter break and schools will have a period of four weeks to submit to the department for review. Schools will be given the opportunity to update their school enrolment data for the years 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 on POD and PPOD, where they identify that the information already provided is not an accurate reflection of their school enrolment for those years. Schools may also request that the application of the model to their existing data is reviewed.
The review process will be overseen by an appeals board, the members of which are independent of the initial design and implementation of the DEIS Plus identification model.
When all appeals have been processed, schools will be informed in writing by my department outlining the outcome of the appeal. It is my intention that schools will be provided with the outcome promptly.
A circular outlining the full details of the appeals process will issue to schools after the Easter break.
In relation to the publication of results, disadvantage scores can be an important tool for identifying need and directing support. However, the publication of these scores can lead to unfair comparisons as they do not reflect the different contexts in which schools operate. The publication of such data can also unintentionally reinforce stigma and risk the deepening of inequality. The department uses this data carefully and in context, focusing on ensuring resources and supports reach the schools that need it the most, while avoiding any potential harm to school communities. For these reasons, the department does not publish disadvantage scores.
