58. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports to be made available to DEIS PLUS schools. [29162/26]

Addressing educational disadvantage and ensuring that every child and young person can reach their full potential is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth and for the Government. The new DEIS Plus scheme, which will commence this year, launched as part of the DEIS Strategy to 2035, represents the most significant expansion of targeted supports since the establishment of DEIS. DEIS Plus is designed to provide enhanced, evidence-based supports to a cohort of 121 schools with the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage, identified through a refined data-based model that draws on a range of indicators associated with persistent and intergenerational disadvantage.

This approach ensures that additional resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact, and forms a core element of the wider €48 million full-year investment across both the DEIS Strategy and the DEIS Plus scheme. Approximately 30,000 children and young people attending DEIS Plus schools will benefit from these targeted supports.

Schools in the DEIS Plus scheme will receive strengthened, research-informed supports across wellbeing, attendance, engagement, guidance, leadership capacity, community partnerships and access to services, including the introduction of a new positive mental health and wellbeing initiative to support a whole-school approach to student wellbeing.

Supports to be provided to DEIS Plus schools include:

• Additional40Home-School-Community Liaison (HSCL) posts for DEIS Plus schools to ensure all DEIS Plus schools have a full-time HSCL.

• 121additionalteacher posts, one for each DEIS Plus school, to foster a whole-school approach to positive mental health and wellbeing and strengthen coordination across services with the child at the centre.

• 33 additional leadership posts to enableschools to provide a nurturing environment, support high-quality inclusive teaching and learning, and address attendance issues. All DEIS Plus primary schools will have an administrative principal.

• €2.8 million in increased grant allocation.

• 25additionalwellbeing practitioners and7additionalNEPS psychologists to increase access to the Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot, Strand 1 and Strand 2.

• Enhanced guidance allocation.

• Increased Inspectorsand Oide teacher professional learning rolesto support DEIS Plus in schools.

• The establishment of an innovation fundfrom 2027(€400,000)for schools to engage with each other and local services and industry, to develop bespoke responses that meet local needs.

• Increased funding for UBU Youth Services near DEIS Plus schools to increase engagement with young people.

• Increased engagement with third level institutions and industry for increased opportunities for work experience, potential to collaborate on projects and opportunities for research.

• Funding to have a breakfast club to combat food insecurity in homes and to ensure that children and young people come to class ready to learn.

• Provision of free period productsto all DEIS Plus schoolsin 2026whererequiredto ensure dignity andthatno student is held back due to period poverty.This will expand to all schools from 2027.

• Enhanced supports to increase participation in transition year and support access to work placements through engagement with industry.

Further information on the supports provided under the DEIS Plus scheme can be found at gov.ie/deis.