Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 September 2022
176. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education if her Department will extend DEIS status to a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary; if her Department will take into account that the Government recently announced a housing modular scheme of 60 units in the town to house Ukrainian families, which will add to this school's educational demands; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47414/22]
View answerIn March I was glad to be able to announce a major expansion of the DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools programme which means that, for the first time since 2017, the programme is being significantly expanded and eligible schools will now gain access to targeted supports to address educational disadvantage. This will add an additional €32million to my Department’s expenditure on the DEIS programme from 2023, bringing the 2023 allocation to in the region of €180million.
Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and the model has been applied fairly and equally to all schools.
The DEIS identification process aims to identify those schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage or the highest proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds within a school. The model uses information from the school’s individual enrolment database and 2016 national census data as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation index. The model takes into account the student cohort and the relative disadvantage within a given school. The DEIS identification model takes into consideration the significant educational disadvantage experienced by Traveller and Roma learners and by students residing in direct provision or emergency homeless accommodation.
A detailed paper on the refined DEIS identification model is available on gov.ie at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/a3c9e-extension-of-deis-to-further-schools/#how-schools-were-selected-for-inclusion-in-deis
Schools that were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data were provided with the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed. The details of the Appeals process is outlined in Circular 0019/2022 which can be found on the gov.ie website.
Following the processing of the appeal received from the school in question regrettably there was no change to the outcome of the initial application of the refined DEIS identification model to the school. My Department, however, will continue to support the school and the school community as they deliver high quality, inclusive teaching and learning to their students and young learners. The DEIS appeals process was applied fairly across all appellants and the results are final.
It is important to note that the extension of the DEIS programme to new schools is just one phase of work in my vision for an inclusive education system which supports all learners to achieve their potential. While the DEIS programme supports those schools with the highest levels of concentrated educational disadvantage, I recognise that there are students at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools. Conscious of this, and recognising the need to target resources to those schools that need them most, the next phase of work will explore the allocation of resources to schools to tackle educational disadvantage. Part of this programme of work will involve consultation with all relevant stakeholders.
In addition to this, following the National Census 2022 held on the 3rd April last it is envisaged that an updated HP Deprivation Index will be generated by Pobal and will be available in Q3 of 2023. My Department will engage with Pobal in relation to this process. The updated HP Deprivation Index, when available, can be considered by my Department to inform future resource allocation to tackle educational disadvantage.
Meeting the educational needs of children and young people from Ukraine is a priority for the Government, and my Department is determined to support the efforts of school communities across the country, who have shown huge commitment and generosity. I announced the establishment of Regional Education and Language Teams (REALTs) to support the needs of Ukrainian children arriving in Ireland. These Education and Language Teams will be hosted by the 16 regional education and training boards (ETBs) and will be staffed by existing regionally-based education support personnel working closely together to ensure good coordination and alignment of supports for Ukrainian children. My Department will be liaising with the teams to ensure all necessary supports for the Ukrainian children are provided as quickly as possible.
Local Regional Education and Language Team (REALT) co-ordinators visit and engage with the relevant schools around the country on a regular basis. My Department carried out surveys at primary and post-primary level to identify potential capacity in schools and has incorporated this information, along with other information, in the Geographical Information System (GIS) system to enable quick identification of potential capacity near Ukrainian accommodation centres through the Community Analyst reporting system.
Each REALT team has access to this tool, reflecting their key role in assisting children in finding school places and in supporting schools in their area to meet the needs of these children as they emerge. The tool enables the REALT co-ordinator to work on ensuring that existing capacity in local schools can be leveraged to the greatest extent possible. In some cases, it may be necessary to access capacity in neighbouring schools within reasonable travel distance, supported as necessary through school transport arrangements.
There is a dedicated helpline for support which can be contacted on 057 9324461 or email Usupport@education.gov.ie. The helpline will be operated from Monday - Friday.
