Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 May 2026
142. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth to list the schools with Deis status in Dublin 8, 10 and 12 which applied and were refused Deis plus status; the reason they were refused; and the additional steps that will be taken to address the underlying issues for those schools. [40808/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAddressing 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 and was 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.
The DEIS Strategy to 2035 also acknowledges that students at risk of educational disadvantage are present in all schools. It therefore focuses on improving outcomes, encouraging innovation and ensuring schools can access the right supports when needed.
DEIS Plus was not an application-based scheme. 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. Using this model, schools were identified for inclusion in the DEIS Plus scheme through an objective and data-based approach that applies nationally available indicators consistently across all schools.
The department 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.
The DEIS Plus identification model was designed to identify schools with the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage. At post-primary level, the average proportion of students in DEIS Plus schools from areas with a HP Index score of -20 or below is 37.6%, compared with 9.8% across other DEIS post-primary schools. At primary level, the corresponding figures are 42.2% and 16.2% respectively. These figures illustrate the significantly higher concentrations of disadvantage present in schools included in the DEIS Plus scheme.
Following an assessment of the past three years’ enrolment data, only those schools identified as having the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage were included in the scheme. If a school was not identified for inclusion, this does not imply that there is no disadvantage within the school community. While many schools experience significant need, not all met the threshold for inclusion at this stage. Schools will continue to be supported through the range of additional resources provided through the DEIS programme and wider DEIS Strategy to 2035 measures.
Schools that were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS Plus identification model to their school enrolment data had the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed through the formal appeals process. Schools had the opportunity to update their school enrolment data for the years 2023/2024, 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 on POD and PPOD where they identified that the information already provided was not an accurate reflection of their school enrolment for those years. Schools also had the opportunity to request that the application of the model to their existing data be reviewed.
As the DEIS Plus appeals process is currently under consideration, it would not be appropriate to comment on individual schools or on the status of any individual appeal until that process has concluded.
My department and I will continue to engage with school communities and education stakeholders regarding the implementation of the DEIS Strategy to 2035 and the range of supports available to schools serving communities experiencing educational disadvantage. Any future allocation of resources will be considered over the lifetime of the DEIS Strategy to 2035 and in the context of available resources.
