Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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415. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will urgently revise the DEIS status of a school in County Clare (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44466/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential. Supplementing the universal supports available to all schools, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a key policy initiative of my department to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level in a targeted and equitable way across the primary and post-primary sector.

Following the largest expansion of the DEIS programme to date in 2022, benefitting 361 schools, the programme now includes in the region of 1,200 schools and supports approximately 260,000 students. This expansion added an additional €32million to my department’s expenditure on the DEIS programme from 2023, bringing the overall allocation for the programme to over €180million.

The DEIS programme is targeted at schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage. Schools that were included in the programme in 2022 were those with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage as identified through the refined DEIS identification model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and the model was applied fairly and equally to all schools. A detailed paper on the refined DEIS identification model is available on gov.ie.

The extension of the DEIS programme to new schools is just one component 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 also recognise that there are students at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools.Since June 2020, I have secured funding to provide measures to support children in this regard. These measures include reducing class sizes and the allocation of free schoolbooks to students up to Junior Cycle. Budget 2025 announced an additional €51 million funding to extend the free schoolbooks scheme to students in transition and senior cycle years, meaning it will now support 940,000 pupils and students in primary, special and post-primary schools in the free scheme.

I invited the OECD Strength Through Diversity: Education for Inclusive Societies project to review Ireland’s current policy approach for the allocation of resources to support students at risk of educational disadvantage. In July this year I welcomed the publication by the OECD Education for Inclusive Societies project of the ‘Review of Resourcing Schools to Address Educational Disadvantage in Ireland'.

The review finds that Ireland has an education system that consistently outperforms many other OECD countries but also exhibits relative socio-economic fairness, making it one of the stronger performers globally. It also recognises the positive impact of resources provided universally to all schools, as well as the additional resources provided to schools in the DEIS programme, in addressing educational disadvantage.

The review also highlights continued improvements over the past decade in retention and attainment levels between children and young people in DEIS and non-DEIS schools. It notes that, even with these improvements, important differences in outcomes persist between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and for children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and Travellers and Roma. This information and data has also informed the Traveller and Roma Education Strategy (TRES), published in July (www.gov.ie/en/consultation/2545f-traveller-and-roma-education-strategy/).

The OECD review sets a number of recommendations for future policy, to bridge those gaps, improve equity and ensure every child and young person at risk of educational disadvantage is supported to achieve their potential in education. Over the coming months my department will work with other government departments and agencies, the education partners, and stakeholders across the education sector to develop tangible actions informed by the recommendations set out. These actions will aim to build on the success of the DEIS programme through the development of a dynamic resource allocation model that can respond to changing levels of need and ensure that all children and young people in both DEIS and non-DEIS schools are supported to achieve in education.

Following the National Census conducted in April 2022, an updated HP Deprivation Index has been generated by Pobal. My officials are analysing this data, and it is currently under consideration. This, along with input from the OECD review and the aforementioned stakeholders, will assist in the development of actions to address educational disadvantage in all schools.

Meeting the educational needs of children and young people arriving from Ukraine and other countries 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.

The Regional Education and Language Teams (REALTs) were established by the department in 2022 to support the needs of children arriving in Ireland from Ukraine. The most recent figures show that over 18,000 pupils from Ukraine were formally enrolled in schools across the country.

The primary role of the REALT is to assist children in finding school places and to support schools in the area to meet the needs of these children as they emerge, to advise and support my department in developing new capacity where required, and to coordinate the provision of education services to children and families across their defined area.

The remit of REALT was extended in November 2022 and includes support for both non-Ukrainian arrivals in the International Protection system and children under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP). This ensures a comprehensive approach to supporting all children in our education system.

The Special Education Teaching allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile and also encompasses the English as an Additional Language (EAL) allocation that schools were allocated in previous years. All schools are advised in the first instance to review whether the needs of newly enrolled pupils can be met from within existing allocations. My department has adapted to the dynamic landscape of student enrolment particularly with the influx of newly arrived students into the country who require EAL. My department's policies enable flexible resource allocation, including additional EAL hours and positions, to meet these varying needs. Schools may also apply for further language support through the staffing appeals process.