Brendan Griffin
Ceist:284. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding a school in County Kerry. [9591/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchools Building Projects Expenditure
Ceisteanna (284)
Freagraí scríofa
My Department fully funded the provision of a new 12 classroom building for the school to which the Deputy refers. In this regard it paid the Design Team fees, construction costs and all other ancillary costs.
The costs incurred by the school do not relate to the project actually delivered and they were incurred by the school without approval from the Department. Accordingly, the Department will not be meeting them.
The school has been informed that to qualify for Exchequer funding, it is a fundamental principle to have prior approval from the Department. Schools that incur costs without such approval must meet those costs themselves.
Special Educational Needs Service Provision
Ceisteanna (285)
Seán Fleming
Ceist:285. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the two new reports issued on 24 January 2017 and 10 February 2017 to a school in respect of two students with complex needs who both require immediate early intervention will be taken into consideration before his Department issues its new model for access and support in replacement of the learning support and resource hours scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9665/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
On 18 January last, I announced that a new model for allocating Special Education Teaching Resources to mainstream primary and post primary schools will be introduced from September 2017.
The aim of this new model is to deliver better outcomes for children with special educational needs. Large amounts of research, analysis, consultation with service users and stakeholders, and piloting have gone into the development of this model and all the evidence points to the fact that this new system will deliver better outcomes for children.
No school will lose supports as a result of the implementation of the new model. In addition, no school will receive an allocation, for the support of pupils with complex needs, less than the allocation they received to support such pupils during the 2016/17 school year. No allocation made for such pupils by the NCSE will be removed from schools as long as that pupil remains in the school.
I also announced that an additional 900 teaching posts will be provided to support the introduction of this new allocation model. The provision of an additional 900 teaching posts is a very significant investment in the provision of additional teaching support for pupils with special educational needs in our schools. This is additional to an increase of 41% in the number of resource teachers allocated to schools annually by the NCSE since 2011, when 5265 teachers were allocated, as opposed to provision for 7542 posts in the current school year.
The additional funding will provide additional supports to over 1000 schools that are identified as needing additional supports as a result of the new model. Supports for children with special educational needs is a huge priority for this Government. We currently spend €1.6 billion, or one fifth of the total education budget, on supports for children with special educational needs.
This additional investment will ensure that all schools receive a sufficient allocation of special education needs resources to provide additional teaching support to all pupils in their school who require such support.
Under the new allocation model, schools will be provided with a total allocation which includes a baseline allocation for the school and an allocation based on the school profile.
The provision of a profiled allocation will give a fairer allocation for each school which recognises that all schools need an allocation for special needs support, but which provides a graduated allocation which takes into account the actual level of need in each school.
Schools will be frontloaded with resources, based on each school's profile, to provide supports immediately to those pupils who need it without delay. This will reduce the administrative burden on schools as schools will no longer have to complete an application process annually and apply for newly enrolled pupils who require resource hours. Children who need support can have that support provided immediately rather than having to wait for a diagnosis.
Schools will therefore no longer have to make applications, for newly enrolled pupils for whom resource teaching hours may have been provided under the old model, as schools will now receive a single allocation for all of their special education teaching needs, based on their school size and profile.
Accordingly, the NCSE advised schools that there was no longer a requirement for schools to make applications for special education teaching supports for individual pupils with special education teaching needs, as resources would be provided for schools by the profiled allocation.
For the introduction of the new allocation model, from September 2017, the NCSE ‘Low Incidence’ allocations which had been made for each school during the preceding year 2016/17 school year, have been used to establish the complex needs component of the new allocation model for each school.
A model for the identification of pupils with complex needs in future is being devised by the NCSE, in consultation with the Health Service Executive and National Educational Psychological Services (NEPS). This model will take account of the qualification criteria for the selection of children for access to HSE Children Disability Network Teams.
For the next re-profiling of the model, the pupils with newly identified Complex Needs will be included in this revised allocation.
It should be noted that this is a brand new model of allocation and is not comparable to the existing model. By using a broad range of attainment and socio-economic criteria it is expected that allocations made to schools will be sufficient to meet both current and future needs as they arise until the next review.
Currently most schools' educational profiles remain relatively constant from year to year. Each year, some students with additional teaching needs will leave and others will enrol, broadly balancing the school profile.
The model will provide, from this year, additional resources to schools where it is expected that there will be additional needs. In protecting resources in schools where the profiles indicate that the levels of need are lower than are currently provided for some additional capacity is also provided for in those schools. Accordingly, all schools should have the capacity to meet the needs of additional children enrolling in the school in the following school year without the need for additional or new resources.
The model will, however, allow for some additional provision for very exceptional circumstances or where a school’s enrolment levels increase very substantially prior to the next review of the model. The Inclusion Support Service, being established under the National Council for Special Education will support schools in managing their special education teaching allocations in the first instance. Only in very exceptional circumstances, where it can be demonstrated that the schools profile has changed very significantly since the allocation was made to the school, may an additional allocation of hours be made to the school.
A new Circular will be issued to schools in the coming weeks which will provide details of how the scheme will operate while details of the allocations for each school will also be provided to schools.
Freedom of Information Data
Ceisteanna (286)
Catherine Murphy
Ceist:286. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the legal fees incurred on FOI requests received by his Department; the staff hours involved in the processing of FOI requests for the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9676/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
There have been no legal fees incurred on FOI requests received by the department for the past three years.
Dealing with FOI requests form part of the duties of officials and the time spent on processing such requests is not monitored separately. In cases where search and retrieval time was more than 5 hours, fees are charged and the number of cases where this occurred is set out in the table that follows.
Cases where search and retrieval time was more than 5 hours
|
Year |
Number of FOI Requests |
Number where fees Charged |
|
2016 |
496 |
1 |
|
2015 |
420 |
1 |
|
2014 |
303 |
6 |
Child Care Qualifications
Ceisteanna (287)
Lisa Chambers
Ceist:287. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the same child care level 7 course in Carlow IT and GMIT is being offered to students at different fee rates and a training centre (details supplied) is funding Carlow IT for this course and not GMIT; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9694/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Skillnets is an enterprise-led agency, where groups of private sector companies come together to provide solutions to identified training needs. One of the networks funded under the Skillnets Training Networks Programme is the Carlow Kilkenny Skillnet. The Skillnet offers a Level 7 BA Degree in Early Childhood Education and Care. The course was developed in partnership with member companies of the Carlow Kilkenny Skillnet, together with Carlow IT, with whom the network has developed a strong working relationship as part of its local stakeholder collaborations.
Skillnets is mandated to provide certified programmes such as this through its enterprise-led training networks model. Skillnets programmes are subsidised, and again this aspect is central to the Skillnets mandate which is to encourage enterprise participation in workforce development. Skillnets has no involvement in the provision of a similar course via Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology.
Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and the criteria governing the level of tuition fees to be charged in relation to third level students who do not qualify for free fees is determined by the institutions and accordingly I have no role in relation to the matter.
Schools Site Acquisitions
Ceisteanna (288)
Margaret Murphy O'Mahony
Ceist:288. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the allocation of a site for a new school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9741/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Department is working closely with officials in Cork County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition of school sites in relation to the procurement of a site for the school to which the Deputy refers. A site option has been identified and a more in-depth technical assessment is now being undertaken. If it is established that the site is suitable, engagement with the landowner will then take place to determine whether the land is available for acquisition.
Due to the commercially sensitive nature of site acquisitions generally, it is not possible to comment further at this stage.
Once the permanent location has been acquired, then the project to deliver the school will advance into architectural planning.
Education and Training Boards
Ceisteanna (289)
James Lawless
Ceist:289. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the delay regarding the letter of intent being issued to the contractor in respect of a project (details supplied); when this letter will be issued; the timeframe of this project going forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9775/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that all aspects of the tendering process for the project to which he refers have been satisfactorily completed. The local Education and Training Board (ETB) is delivering the project and my Department gave approval to it on 27 February last to issue a Letter of Intent to award a contract to the preferred bidder. Assuming that the preferred bidder can comply with the requirements contained in that letter in relation to tax clearance, insurances, bond etc, my Department would expect the project to be on site in a few months’ time.
DEIS Eligibility
Ceisteanna (290)
John Brassil
Ceist:290. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Education and Skills the exact criteria that were used to assign the new DEIS status to schools; the way in which this was determined; the appeals process for schools that have not been included; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9781/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
DEIS is my Department's main policy initiative to tackle educational disadvantage. The DEIS Plan for 2017 sets out our vision for future intervention in the critical area of social inclusion in education policy.
A key element of DEIS Plan 2017 is the availability of a new identification process for the assessment of schools for inclusion in DEIS using centrally held CSO and DES data.
The key data sources are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases, and CSO data from the National Census of Population as represented in the Pobal HP Index for Small Areas which is a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area. Variables used in the compilation of the HP Index include those related to demographic growth, social class composition and labour market situation. This data is combined with pupil data, anonymised and aggregated to small area, to provide information on the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in the pupil cohort of individual schools. Further information on the development of the identification process is available in the DEIS Review report which can be found on my Department's website at http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/.
In its initial application, the new identification model has identified that there are schools in disadvantaged areas, not previously included in DEIS, whose level of disadvantage is significantly higher than many schools already in the programme. Accordingly, we are moving as a first step to include these schools within the DEIS School Support Programme.
Schools included in the list published by the Department on 13th February are those whose level of concentrated disadvantage has been identified as being at the same level as the current DEIS category for schools serving the highest concentrations of disadvantage.
Schools which have not been included at this stage are those which have not been identified as having the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage amongst their pupil cohort, under the new model which is fair and objective.
The new DEIS Plan provides for a verification process and any school wishing to seek verification of the information used to assess the level of disadvantage of its pupil cohort may submit an application for same to social_inclusion@education.gov.ie
It is important to note that the school details published on 13th February represent a first step in the application of the assessment process to support pupils in schools with the highest concentrations of disadvantage. I am fully aware that there are further schools whose concentrated level of disadvantage may not be at the highest level, but may nevertheless be at a level which warrants additional supports for pupils under DEIS.
However, as noted in the DEIS Plan, the implementation of a new objective central data-based model of identifying levels of disadvantage within school populations will be followed by a further programme of work to create a more dynamic model where levels of resource more accurately follow the levels of need identified by that model.
Once this work has been completed, consideration will be given to extending DEIS supports to a further group of schools as resources permit.
In delivering on the DEIS Plan 2017 we must be conscious that there are ongoing changes in demographics which may be more marked in some areas than others. Populations in some areas have changed considerably since schools were originally evaluated for inclusion in DEIS in 2006. The new model may reveal that some schools currently included in DEIS have a level of disadvantage within their school population much lower than that in some schools not included within DEIS. If this turns out to be the case, then we must consider whether it is fair that those schools continue receiving these additional resources, using resources that may be more fairly allocated to the schools with greater levels of disadvantage.
It is important to note that the fact that a school has not been included in the DEIS programme on this occasion does not preclude its inclusion at a later date, should its level of disadvantage warrant the allocation of additional resources.
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
Ceisteanna (291)
Maurice Quinlivan
Ceist:291. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of single teacher schools in County Clare in each of the years 2010 to 2016, in tabular form; the current teacher pupil ratio in 2017 in these schools in County Clare; his plans to close any of them; and if so, the location of the schools and number of pupils in them. [9785/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I wish to advise the Deputy that there have been 8 one teacher schools in the area to which he refers in the period 2010 to date. A table with details of the individual schools and their enrolment trends over the period concerned follows. The enrolment numbers for 2016 represent the enrolment for the 2016-17 academic year.
|
- |
- |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
|
|
Roll No. |
Official School Name |
Pupils enrolled |
Pupils enrolled |
Pupils enrolled |
Pupils enrolled |
Pupils enrolled |
Pupils enrolled |
Pupils enrolled |
Comment |
|
08241P |
SCROPUL N S |
7 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Scropul NS Ennis, Co. Clare, Roll No. 08241P and Coore NS, Ennis, Co. Clare, Roll No. 10191P amalgamated with effect from 1st September, 2012. The new school name is Coore NS, Mullagh, Ennis, Co. Clare, Roll No. 20404M |
|
10568N |
S N CUIBHREANN |
23 |
25 |
25 |
20 |
16 |
11 |
7 |
|
|
12633I |
COOLMEEN N S |
23 |
20 |
17 |
16 |
14 |
11 |
10 |
|
|
12848G |
DOONAHA N S |
12 |
14 |
10 |
15 |
14 |
16 |
21 |
Increased to a 2 teacher school in 2016 |
|
14111L |
CROSS N S |
31 |
31 |
30 |
25 |
18 |
9 |
6 |
|
|
15968I |
BALTARD N S |
10 |
5 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Closed in August, 2013 |
|
17898A |
S N IOSEF NAOFA |
12 |
10 |
6 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
SN Iosef Naofa, Broadford, via Limerick, Co. Clare, Roll No. 17898A and Scoil na Maighdine Muire, Broadford, Co. Clare, Roll No. 17801F amalgamated with effect from 1st September, 2014. The new school name is Broadford & Kilbane National School, Roll No. 20452A. |
|
18740Q |
SHANNON AIRPORT NO 2 NS |
25 |
24 |
22 |
15 |
12 |
10 |
19 |
Increased to a 2 teacher school in 2016 |
|
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
|
Single Teacher Schools |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
|
Pupils attending single teacher schools |
17 |
9 |
12 |
21 |
40 |
57 |
23 |
I can confirm that just one of the schools concerned was closed in the period referred to. A further 2 schools amalgamated with larger schools. Two of the remaining 5 schools gained a post and became 2 teacher schools in 2016/17 school year.
Of the remaining 3 schools, my Department has no plans to close the schools in question. The initiative for closing a school may come from a variety of sources, such as parents, staff, Board of Management, Patron and the Department. Any proposal to close a school must involve consultation with all of the relevant stakeholders and follow decisions taken at local level.
Special Educational Needs Service Provision
Ceisteanna (292)
Seán Sherlock
Ceist:292. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for special assistance during school hours. [9791/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which is an independent statutory agency, is responsible, through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including SNA support and additional teaching resources to support individual pupils with special educational needs.
The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014, which is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie, in order that students who have special educational needs and additional care needs can access SNA support as and when it is needed.
Responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational supports and resources to be allocated to schools to support individual pupils rests with the NCSE.
SNA allocations are not made to individual children, but are made to schools to support the care needs of children with assessed special educational needs in the school.
Additional teaching resources are allocated to recognised primary and post-primary schools for the support of individual students with complex and enduring special educational needs and who have been assessed as having a low incidence disability.
Each year the NCSE allocates Low Incidence Resource Teacher posts to schools to support children with a diagnosis of a disability and an assessed level of need, as set out in Circular Sp Ed 02/05.
Where a school wishes to appeal the resource teaching support and/or SNA allocations which have been made to them, they may do so through the NCSE appeal process, details of which are set out at www.ncse.ie.
Last month, I announced that a new model for allocating Special Education Teaching Resources to mainstream primary and post primary schools will be introduced from September 2017. The new model will allocate teachers to schools on the basis of the profiled educational needs of each school. This new model will encompass the Learning/Language support allocation that schools were allocated in previous years.
As the matter raised by the Deputy refers to a particular child, I have arranged for the Deputy's question to be forwarded to the National Council for Special Education for their attention and direct reply.
School Enrolments
Ceisteanna (293)
Seán Haughey
Ceist:293. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to build new primary schools in the Dublin 13 area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9824/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
My Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places will arise. The GIS uses data from the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Department of Social Protection, in addition to my Department’s own databases. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic analyses at primary and post-primary level to determine where additional school accommodation is needed.
Following such nationwide demographic analyses, three new primary schools and eight new post-primary schools opened in September 2016 and four new primary schools and nine new post-primary schools will open in 2017 and 2018 to cater for areas experiencing significantly increased demographic growth.
A range of areas nationwide, including the Dublin 13 area, are experiencing increased demographic pressure and are being kept under ongoing review by my Department. This review takes account of updated enrolment data and child benefit data and also the impact of existing and planned capacity increases to schools in these, and adjacent school planning areas.
Where the demographic data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may, depending on the circumstances, be provided through either one, or a combination of, the following:
-Utilising existing unused capacity with a school or schools,
-Extending the capacity of a school or schools,
-Provision of a new school or schools.
Special Educational Needs Staff Contracts
Ceisteanna (294)
Thomas Byrne
Ceist:294. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of hours that constitute a full-time working week for a special needs assistant. [9831/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Special Needs Assistants contracts define working hours as normal classroom hours including class break periods, attendance before and after school in order to help with preparation and tidying up of classrooms, reception and dispersal of children etc. The contract will set the normal working hours of the school daily during term time. These times are agreed locally by the school management and will vary from school to school depending on the requirements of the school. This contract was nationally agreed by this Department, the Trade Unions and the Management Bodies in 2005. It was designed to be deliberately flexible to cater for the totally different spectrum of working hours across all the various schools including primary, post-primary and special schools.
Special Needs Assistants are required to be available for a number of days at the start and finish of each school term not exceeding 12 in total. Under the Croke Park Agreement and continuing under the Lansdowne Road Agreement it was agreed to introduce greater flexibility to the use of these 12 days. These 12 days now equate to 72 hours (pro-rata for part-time SNAs) to be used by schools as an additional bank of hours to be utilised and delivered outside of normal school opening hours and / or the normal school year.
SNAs who are employed in a part-time capacity are paid a pro-rata amount dependent upon their level of hours of employment. Part-time SNAs are paid on the agreed divisor rate for pay purposes for SNAs which is 32 hours.
Further information relating to SNA recruitment, qualifications and terms and conditions are available on my Department's website www.education.gov.ie
Student Grant Scheme Applications
Ceisteanna (295)
Charlie McConalogue
Ceist:295. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a student grant application will be reviewed in respect of a person (details supplied) following the refusal of a late application, in order to allow for an application to be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9832/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Under the statutory based Student Grants Scheme, decisions regarding late applications are matters to be determined by the awarding authority.
As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage the assistance of their public representatives in making enquiries about their grant applications.
This service complements the established channels provided by SUSI which include online application tracking, a dedicated website, a telephone helpdesk, email and social media, including Facebook and Twitter.
Enquiries may be emailed direct to SUSI at oireachtas@susi.ie. Staff in SUSI are responding to email queries within a matter of days.
Student Grant Scheme Eligibility
Ceisteanna (296)
Thomas Byrne
Ceist:296. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will make a decision on maintenance grants for third level students who attend private colleges. [9833/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Under the Department's student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution as defined in the scheme. The definition of an approved institution is set out in Section 7 of the Student Support Act 2011 and Regulation 3 of the Student Support Regulations 2016.
In the context of scarce resources, the Department prioritises grants to students attending recognised colleges ahead of private fee paying colleges.
Decisions in relation to the future funding of student supports will be informed by the consideration of the options contained in the Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education, published last July. As committed to in the Programme for Government, I have referred the report to the relevant Oireachtas Committee as part of the process for building political consensus on the most sustainable approach for funding the higher education sector in the future.
It is open to higher education institutions that operate on a 'for profit' basis to use their own resources to provide financial supports to any of their students that they consider to be in particular need.
Schools Designation
Ceisteanna (297)
David Cullinane
Ceist:297. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the proposal for band 1 status submitted by a school (details supplied); the reason the school was not reassigned band 1 in the recent changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9834/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
DEIS is my Department's main policy initiative to tackle educational disadvantage. The DEIS Plan 2017 sets out our vision for future intervention in the critical area of social inclusion in education policy.
A key element of the DEIS Plan 2017 is the availability of a new identification process for the assessment of schools for inclusion in DEIS using centrally held CSO and DES data.
The key data sources are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases, and CSO data from the National Census of Population as represented in the Pobal HP Index for Small Areas, which is a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area. Variables used in the compilation of the HP Index include those related to demographic growth, social class composition and labour market situation. This data is combined with pupil data, anonymised and aggregated to small area, to provide information on the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in the pupil cohort of individual schools. Further information on the development of the identification process is available in the DEIS Review report which can be found on my Department's website at http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/
In its initial application, the new identification model has identified that there are schools in disadvantaged areas, not previously included in DEIS, whose level of disadvantage is significantly higher than many schools already in the programme. Accordingly, we are moving as a first step to include these schools within the DEIS School Support Programme.
Schools included in the list published by the Department on 13th February, including the 30 schools currently in DEIS Urban Band 1 that are moving to DEIS Urban Band 1, are those whose level of concentrated disadvantage has been identified as being at the same level as the current DEIS category for schools serving the highest concentrations of disadvantage.
The school referred to by the Deputy is a DEIS Primary Urban Band 2 school, which, while it caters for a significant level of disadvantage, and receive supports under DEIS on that basis, it has not been identified as having the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage amongst its pupil cohort.
The new DEIS Plan provides for a verification process and any school wishing to seek verification of the information used to assess the level of disadvantage of its pupil cohort may submit an application for same to social_inclusion@education.gov.ie
It is important to note that the school details published on 13th February represent a first step in the application of the assessment process to support pupils in schools with the highest concentrations of disadvantage.
As noted in the DEIS Plan, the implementation of a new objective central data-based model of identifying levels of disadvantage within school populations will be followed by a further programme of work to create a more dynamic model where levels of resource more accurately follow the levels of need identified by that model.
Once this work has been completed, consideration will be given to extending DEIS supports to a further group of schools as resources permit.
In delivering on the DEIS Plan 2017, we must be conscious that there are ongoing changes in demographics which may be more marked in some areas than others. Populations in some areas have changed considerably since schools were originally evaluated for inclusion in DEIS in 2006. The new model may reveal that some schools currently included in DEIS have a level of disadvantage within their school population much lower than that in some schools not included within DEIS. If this turns out to be the case, then we must consider whether it is fair that those schools continue receiving these additional resources, using resources that may be more fairly allocated to the schools with greater levels of disadvantage.