Brendan Smith
Ceist:211 Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills his policy on the DEIS programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11016/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 28 February 2012
Ceisteanna (171)
Freagraí scríofa
DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools), the Action Plan for Educational Disadvantage, was launched in May 2005 and remains the Department of Education and Skills policy instrument to address educational disadvantage. The action plan focuses on addressing and prioritising the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities, from preschool through second-level education (3 to 18 years).
Concentrating resources in favour of schools serving the most disadvantaged communities with the highest concentrations of disadvantaged pupils is consistent with the broad thrust of the recommendations of the Comptroller and Auditor General in his report on Primary Disadvantage in 2006, which suggested that the Department of Education and Skills should focus its educational disadvantage measures on those schools serving the most disadvantaged communities.
DEIS includes a commitment for ongoing evaluation of the programme to ensure successful implementation and appropriate measurement of outcomes at both local and national level. The Educational Research Centre has undertaken this ongoing evaluation, on behalf of my Department, the aim of which is to monitor the implementation of the programme and assess its impact on students and schools at primary and post primary levels.
In addition, the Inspectorate of my Department conducted evaluations of planning in a sample of 36 DEIS schools, 18 primary and 18 post-primary. A national composite report on the effectiveness of DEIS planning in primary and post-primary schools has been completed and this report along with the ERC report were published in January 2012.
My Department will fully consider these evaluation reports before any decisions can be made regarding the future of DEIS. While a key priority for me is to continue to prioritise and target resources at schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage, the current economic climate and the challenge to meet significant targets on reducing public expenditure, particularly given the upward pressures on teacher numbers and in the context of operating under a fixed ceiling on teacher numbers affords no capacity to provide for additionality to the DEIS programme.