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Educational Disadvantage

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 March 2022

Thursday, 10 March 2022

Ceisteanna (148)

Michael Lowry

Ceist:

148. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education if she has plans to extend DEIS status to schools in Tipperary town; if so, the scale of the planned extension; the manner in which new schools will be chosen; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13158/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I announced yesterday the expansionof the DEIS programme benefitting 347 schools. These schools were identified as having the highest levels of educational disadvantage.  In the 2022/23 academic year there will be 1,194 schools in the DEIS Programme - 960 Primary and 234 Post Primary. This will also add a €32million increase in my Department's expenditure on DEIS programme from 2023. This is the largest ever single investment in the programme and will extend additional resources to those schools most in need.

This announcement follows an extensive body of work by the DEIS technical group to develop the refined DEIS identification model to identify the concentrated levels of disadvantage of schools. Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model which uses information from the Department of Education enrolment databases and the Pobal HP Deprivation index. The DEIS identification model now takes into consideration the significant educational disadvantage experienced by Traveller and Roma learners and by students residing in direct provision or emergency homeless accommodation. Using this approach we can be confident that the largest investment to date in the DEIS programme is being provided to those schools most in need. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and the model has been applied fairly and equally to all schools.

This announcement achieves the Programme for Government commitment to complete the new DEIS identification model and to extend DEIS status to schools serving the highest numbers of pupils at risk of educational disadvantage.

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