Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 December 2016
159. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Skills the proposed starting date for the review of the DEIS programme in 2017; his plans to have a target date for the conclusion of this review; when he anticipates the approximate date when the new programme will begin roll-out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40552/16]
View answerA process to review the DEIS Programme began last year and is now nearing completion. It is the my intention to publish a new Action Plan for Educational Inclusion in the coming weeks.
The review process is looking at all aspects of DEIS, including the range and impact of different elements of the School Support Programme, the potential for innovation within and between schools and its scope for increased integration of services provided by other Departments and Agencies, in order to improve effectiveness.
Among the measures to be included in the plan are a series of pilot schemes aimed at introducing measures, which have been shown to work well in improving results for disadvantaged children and students. The plan is expected to include targeted measures in the area of:
School leadership
School networks and clusters
Teaching methodologies
Integration of schools and other State supports within communities
Greater use of Home School Community Liaison services
A new assessment framework is also being developed using centrally held CSO and DES data for the identification of schools for inclusion in a new Programme. The number of schools to receive supports under a new School Support Programme will be determined by this proposed new identification process, which will assess all schools in the country. Schools will not be required to submit an application for assessment as the methodology being applied involves the use of centrally held data already available to my Department.
Implementation of actions arising from the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion will begin in the 2017/18 school year, and will be a continuing theme in our wider Annual Action Plan for Education.
Further information on the DEIS Review process is available on the Department’s website at www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/.
