Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
419. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the exclusion of a school (details supplied) from DEIS Plus will be reconsidered in light of the information provided which suggests that the model used at initial allocation does not capture the reality of disadvantage experienced in the school community. [44948/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra436. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will support the appeal for DEIS plus status from a DEIS Band 1 school (details supplied) in Dublin South West; if she is satisfied that her Department's data-driven DEIS plus identification model fully captures the lived reality, complexity and concentration of disadvantage experienced within individual school communities; if she will reveal all considerations that inform the current identification model; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44998/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 419 and 436 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 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.
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.
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.
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 enrolment data were invited by the department to have that outcome reviewed through a formal appeal process. The appeal process, as set out in Circular 0045/2026, opened on 27 April and closed on 25 May.
The appeal process was designed to ensure that the DEIS Plus identification model was applied consistently, transparently and fairly across all eligible schools. Schools were afforded the opportunity either to correct inaccuracies identified in enrolment data submitted through POD or PPOD, or to request verification that the model had been correctly applied to their existing data.
The grounds for appeal were limited to matters directly related to the enrolment data underpinning the model. The technical review process for those appeals is underway and will subsequently be considered by an independent appeal panel comprising expertise in data analysis, education policy and educational disadvantage. Following completion of this process, schools will be notified in writing of the outcome of their appeal.
It would not be appropriate to comment on individual schools or on the status of any individual appeal until that process has concluded. It is anticipated that schools will be informed of the outcomes by the end of June 2026.
