Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 January 2023
758. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for Education the total number of DEIS applications that have been received by schools in County Laois; and the procedure by which a school can lodge an appeal against a decision. [1333/23]
View answerIn March this year I was glad to be able to announce a major expansion of the DEIS programme. For the first time since 2017, the programme has been significantly expanded to include an additional 322 schools. This means that the DEIS programme now supports over 240,000 students in over 1,200 schools addressing educational disadvantage.
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.
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. Circular 0019/2022 outlined the details of the DEIS appeals process. The DEIS appeals process was applied fairly across all appellants, the window for appeals has now closed and the results are final.
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. 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.
