Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 March 2017
314. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) in County Kildare has been notified of the removal of DEIS status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13407/17]
View answer321. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills his Department's reasons for proposing to withdraw supports from a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13513/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 314 and 321 together.
The school referred to by the Deputies was established on 1st September 2011 following the amalgamation of a number of schools in the area.
Where amalgamations take place, comprising DEIS and Non-DEIS schools, DEIS status is not transferred to the newly amalgamated school. Notwithstanding this fact, my Department continues to provide some additional non-teaching resources in respect of the number of eligible pupils from the former DEIS schools, by way of continued support for the targeted cohort of pupils as a transitional measure. In the case of a post-primary school, these supports are provided for six years.
As the school referred to has now been operating for six years, and, given that the cohort of pupils from the former DEIS schools will have completed their second level education at the end of the current school year, the additional DEIS related resources from which this school has benefited, will be discontinued with effect from the end of the current school year i.e. 31st August 2017.
As the Deputy is aware all schools including the school in question were assessed for the new DEIS and this school did not qualify at that time. Only schools with the highest level of concentrated disadvantage were identified as being at the same level as the current DEIS category for schools serving the highest concentrations of disadvantage.
The next opportunity for this school will be in the autumn when the Department updates its identification process.
There is a verification process under the new DEIS Plan and any schools wishing to seek verification of the information used to assess the level of disadvantage of their pupil cohort should submit an application for this verification to socialinclusion@education.gov.ie.
