Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 February 2018
133. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department has received updated documentation from a school (details supplied) in County Mayo; if a decision is pending on the school's DEIS status application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6450/18]
View answerSchools are not required to make an application for DEIS status therefore there are no pending decisions on any schools. I am advised by my officials that no 'updated documentation' has been received from that school.
It is important to note that all schools, both primary and post-primary, are assessed to identify levels of disadvantage among the pupil cohort of each individual school. The identification model is applied in a uniform way across the entire school system. Schools included in DEIS from September 2017 are those identified as having the highest levels of disadvantage in the pupil cohort of the school.
A detailed document explaining the methodology used in the Identification process is available on the Department’s website at https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/DEIS-Identification-Process.pdf
An update of the identification model is currently underway. This will take account of updated school data, as provided by schools for the current school year, combined with the Pobal HP Index of Deprivation, based on Small Area Population statistics derived from the 2016 National Census. It is envisaged that this process will be completed by the end of Quarter 1 this year.
Should this exercise reveal that any school which did not qualify for DEIS in 2017, including the school referred to by the Deputy, meets the criteria applicable to schools with the highest concentration of disadvantage based on the updated information then additional schools may be included subject to available resources.
