Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2013
404. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Skills the eligibility criteria that apply in respect of a secondary school to be designated a DEIS school in the context in which the school is taking in a considerable number of pupils from DEIS designated primary schools; if an application for this designation for the secondary school can now be accommodated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16479/13]
View answerA key priority for my Department is to continue to prioritise and target resources in schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage.
The underlying criteria for participation in DEIS is a school's relative level of disadvantage against all other schools therefore those post-primary schools with the highest concentration of disadvantage were selected for participation in the DEIS programme. It would not always follow that a post-primary school with a number of DEIS schools among its cohort of feeder schools would automatically qualify for DEIS because the relative level of disadvantage in the school was based on a number of key identifiers and selected by reference to centrally-held data from the Post-Primary Pupils and State Examinations Commission databases which included:
- Medical card data for Junior Certificate candidates (including Junior Certificate - School Programme candidates);
- Junior Certificate retention rates by school;
- Junior Certificate exam results aggregated to school level (expressed as an OPS - "Overall Performance Scale" - score). This was based on each student's performance in the seven subjects in which s/he performed best aggregated to school level;
- Leaving Certificate retention rates by school.
The process of identifying schools for participation in DEIS was managed by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) on behalf of the Department and supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department's regional offices and the Inspectorate. The identification process was in line with international best practice and had regard to, and employed, the existing and most appropriate data sources available.
Prioritising and maintaining resources for children at risk of educational disadvantage is a significant challenge given the current economic climate and the target to reduce public expenditure. This limits capacity for any additionality, or inclusion of further schools, in the DEIS programme.
