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Disadvantaged Status

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 November 2013

Wednesday, 13 November 2013

Questions (68)

Tom Barry

Question:

68. Deputy Tom Barry asked the Minister for Education and Skills the criteria that must be met to acquire DEIS status; the ongoing review system for same; and if there are procedures to remove schools from the scheme. [48455/13]

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Written answers

The underlying criteria for participation in DEIS is a school's relative level of disadvantage against all other schools therefore those schools with the highest concentration of disadvantage were selected for participation in the DEIS programme. The identification process for DEIS was in line with international best practice and had regard to, and employed, the existing and most appropriate data sources available. It 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 choice of variables included in the assessment of disadvantage was guided by the definition of disadvantage in the Education Act, (1998) which refers both to learning outcomes and to social and economic factors.

In the primary sector the identification of primary schools, for participation in DEIS, was based on analysis of a survey, carried out by the ERC, of all primary schools. In the case of second-level schools, analysis of centrally-held data from the Post-Primary Pupils Database and the State Examinations Commission databases determined the identification of post-primary schools for participation in DEIS. There are no measures, within the programme, to remove schools from DEIS.

A key priority for my Department is to prioritise and target resources in schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. To this end resources in DEIS schools have been protected, with no overall changes to DEIS-related staffing levels or DEIS funding in 2013. That challenge is significant, given the current economic climate and the target to reduce public expenditure. This limits the capacity for any additionally to the DEIS programme.

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