49. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth to report on the exclusion of a school (details supplied) from the DEIS Plus programme given the clear meeting of the criteria involved; if the programme will be reopened for applications; if so, the date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53956/26]

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 and was 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 small cohort of schools with the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage.

It is important to stress that a school not identified through the DEIS Plus model does not in any way imply that the department is saying that disadvantage does not exist within that school community. DEIS Plus schools were identified using a refined, rules-based model built on nationally available pupil-level administrative data. The model draws on a range of indicators associated with persistent and intergenerational disadvantage, including small-area deprivation, lone parenthood and unemployment, Traveller and Roma identity, and children living in State-funded emergency accommodation or international protection accommodation. These indicators are applied consistently across all schools using enrolment data from the past three years.

The Department of Education and Youth is committed to ensuring that all schools are treated equally and fairly in the manner in which they have been identified for inclusion in the DEIS Plus scheme. Schools that were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS Plus identification model to their enrolment data were invited by the department to have that outcome reviewed through a formal appeal process. The appeal process, as set out in Circular 0045/2026, opened on 27 April and closed on 25 May.

The appeal process was designed to ensure that the DEIS Plus identification model was applied consistently and fairly across all eligible schools. Schools were afforded the opportunity either to correct inaccuracies identified in enrolment data submitted through POD or PPOD, or request verification that the model had been correctly applied to their existing data. The grounds for appeal were limited to matters directly related to the enrolment data underpinning the model.

All appeals submitted by schools are undergoing a detailed technical review in accordance with the published criteria. It would not be appropriate to comment on the outcome of any individual appeal in advance of the completion of that process. The process will be complete in the coming days and schools will be notified of the outcome of their appeal.

Any future expansion of the DEIS Plus scheme will be considered over the lifetime of the DEIS Strategy to 2035 and the availability of resources.