1192. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will examine the criteria, data analysis and methodology used to determine eligibility for DEIS status at post-primary level given 43% of primary schools in County Leitrim qualify for DEIS while no post-primary school in the county qualifies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60782/26]

Addressing educational disadvantage in all schools remains a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth.

The DEIS programme is targeted at schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage. Schools that were included in the most recent expansion of the programme in 2022 were those with the highest concentration of disadvantage as identified through the refined DEIS identification model.

The refined DEIS identification model takes into consideration the significant educational disadvantage experienced by Traveller and Roma learners and of students residing in direct provision or emergency homeless accommodation. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme, and the model was applied fairly and equally to all school. A detailed paper on the refined DEIS identification model is available on gov.ie.

The refined DEIS identification model is based on concentration, rather than the absolute number of students at risk of educational disadvantage. In larger post-primary schools, the concentration is often less than in smaller primary schools.

Students attending schools with higher concentrations of educational disadvantage have poorer academic outcomes, face greater challenges and are impacted by what is referred to as the "multiplier effect".

It is important to stress that where schools are not identified through the refined DEIS identification model, this does not imply that disadvantage does not exist in the school community.

The new DEIS Strategy to 2035, which was launched in March, sets out a long-term plan to address educational disadvantage in all schools and work to ensure that any child or young person experiencing educational disadvantage is supported through education.

The DEIS Strategy implementation plan 2026-2028, under strategic objective 2.2, sets out to develop an agile resource allocation model to support children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage in all primary and post-primary schools.

These actions focus on the continued enhancement of the data available to measure school level disadvantage and for the development of a more flexible resource allocation model that can react to change in school needs and provide the right resources at the right time.

A consistent and equitable approach to resource allocation requires comparable socio-economic data from all schools. Collecting the same information across the system ensures that resources are allocated on the basis of objective, nationally consistent evidence.

A pilot project was recently introduced to extend Home-School-Community-Liaison (HSCL) provision to 130 schools that are in the DEIS Rural band and outside the DEIS programme. This represents the first step in moving towards a more agile resource allocation model in line with the objective of the new DEIS Strategy.

Schools included in the HSCL pilot project were identified using nationally available data relating to concentrations of educational disadvantage. Operational factors, including clustering feasibility and regional capacity requirements, were also considered to support implementation of the pilot at this stage.

Four schools in Leitrim (three primary and one post-primary) have been included in this pilot scheme.