Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2026
629. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason a school (details supplied) with an exceptionally high concentration of socio-economic disadvantage and complex educational needs was excluded from both DEIS and DEIS Plus, and whether she will review this decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35198/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra630. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason non-DEIS schools are excluded from the DEIS appeals process; the mechanism that exists for a school (details supplied) to seek reconsideration of its exclusion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35199/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra631. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will conduct a needs-based assessment of a school (details supplied) in light of its exceptionally high level of concentrated disadvantage and the absence of DEIS supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35200/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra632. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the interim supports that can be provided immediately to a school (details supplied) pending any future DEIS review, given the school’s severe resource shortages, food insecurity among pupils, and high levels of complex need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35201/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra633. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the DEIS profiling model will be reformed to account for rural schools with non-local disadvantaged enrolments, such as a school (details supplied), where area-based indicators do not reflect the actual pupil population; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35202/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 629, 630, 631, 632 and 633 together.
Addressing educational disadvantage in all schools is a key priority for the Minister for Education and Youth.
Schools that were included in the most recent expansion of the programme in 2022 were those with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage as identified through the refined DEIS identification model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme, and the model was applied fairly and equally to all schools. This identification model is a statistic-based, objective approach that accounted for the breadth and severity of disadvantage through the application of a weighted process. It also took into consideration the significant educational disadvantage experienced by Traveller and Roma learners and of students residing in direct provision or emergency homeless accommodation. A detailed paper on the refined DEIS identification model is available on gov.ie.
I wish to acknowledge the very real challenges faced by school communities as well as the commitment of principals, teachers and support staff who work continuously to support children and families facing complex and entrenched difficulties. It is important to stress that a school not identified through the refined DEIS identification model does not in any way imply that the Department is saying that disadvantage does not exist within that school community.
The DEIS Strategy to 2035, its first three-year implementation plan, and the DEIS Plus scheme was launched in March 2026. This strategy sets out the department’s long-term vision to address educational disadvantage in all schools. This strategy recognises education as central to breaking cycles of disadvantage, expanding opportunity, and ensuring long-term security. It sets out a more flexible and responsive model of support so that resources can be aligned with a school’s level of need as it changes over time.
The Home-School-Community Liaison (HSCL) scheme is a core element of the DEIS programme and of the wider Tusla Education Support Service (TESS). Urban DEIS primary schools and all DEIS post-primary schools are currently included in the HSCL scheme. HSCL coordinators are teachers assigned for a maximum of five years to work directly with parents, guardians, school staff and community services to strengthen engagement between home, school and the community. The overarching aim of HSCL is to improve attendance, participation and retention, particularly for children and young people experiencing educational disadvantage. However, the department is aware that there are children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage enrolled in other schools. In line with the DEIS Strategy to 2035, additional HSCL provision has therefore been allocated through the allocation of HSCL on a pilot basis to a selection of non-DEIS schools. This represents an initial step towards a more dynamic and needs-based approach to HSCL provision.
The department acknowledges the level of disadvantage experienced by Roxboro National School (S N Ceathrú an Chlochar), Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo. The school will have received correspondence confirming its inclusion in the HSCL pilot programme. The relevant HSCL circular is available at the following link: Rural DEIS and non-DEIS home school community liaison pilot: assignment of home school community liaison coordinators in some Rural DEIS and Non-DEIS schools (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/circulars/rural-deis-and-non-deis-home-school-community-liaison-pilot-assignment-of-home-school-community-liaison-coordinators-in-some-rural-deis-and-non-deis-schools/)
Any future allocation of resources will be considered over the lifetime of the DEIS Strategy to 2035 and in the context of available resources.
The DEIS Plus scheme is a key action in the DEIS Strategy to 2035. 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.
DEIS Plus schools were identified using a refined, rules-based model built on nationally available pupil-level administrative data. The model draws on a range of indicators associated with persistent and intergenerational disadvantage, including small-area deprivation, lone parenthood and unemployment, Traveller and Roma identity, and children living in State-funded emergency accommodation or international protection accommodation. These indicators are applied consistently across all schools using enrolment data from the past three years.
The DEIS Plus appeal process applies to DEIS Urban Band 1 primary and DEIS post-primary schools only. This is because data shows that 80% of children and young people living in extreme deprivation, as defined by the HP Deprivation Index, are enrolled in 14.5% of our schools, primarily in urban areas, where poverty-related challenges such as hunger, substance abuse, parental incarceration, eviction and homelessness are most acute.
Finally, it is important to note that there is a range of universal supports which are available to all schools to address educational disadvantage. These supports include wellbeing supports for students through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), additional teaching hours under the English as an Additional Language (EAL) scheme, advisory support from the Department’s Inspectorate, free schoolbooks and free hot school meals.
