Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2026
635. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of schools in County Louth excluded from the DEIS plus scheme that have sought to appeal the decision made by her Department, to date. [40160/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra636. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of schools in County Louth excluded from the DEIS plus scheme that have requested her Department to verify that the DEIS plus identification model has been correctly applied to the school's enrolment data. [40161/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 635 and 636 together.
Addressing educational disadvantage and ensuring that every child and young person can reach their full potential is a key priority for the Minister for Education and Youth and for the Government. The new DEIS Plus scheme, which will commence this year, 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.
It is important to stress that a school not identified through the DEIS Plus model does not in any way imply that the department is saying that disadvantage does not exist within that school community. 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 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.
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. In this context, there are 17 eligible schools in County Louth across DEIS Urban Band 1 primary and DEIS post-primary categories. Following application of the national DEIS Plus identification model 7 schools, 41% of eligible schools in the county, were identified for inclusion in the DEIS Plus scheme. This compares with 22.4% of eligible schools nationally that were included in the DEIS Plus scheme.
The 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 have the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed. As set out in Circular 0045/2026, the appeal process applies to DEIS Urban Band 1 primary schools and DEIS post-primary schools only.
Schools have the opportunity to update their school enrolment data for the years 2023/2024, 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 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.
Information on the appeal process can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/circulars/deis-plus-scheme-appeal-process/
As the appeal process was open until 25 May 2026, and applications and reviews are continuing to be received and processed, the position regarding appeals and verification requests remains subject to change. Accordingly, the department is not in a position to provide final or definitive figures at this time regarding the number of schools in County Louth that have submitted appeals or requested verification reviews under the DEIS Plus appeal process.
