591. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the actions she will take in response to the PISA 2025 findings that 24.2% of students in Ireland are performing below level 2 in mathematics and 16.5% below level 2 in reading, and the decline in performance in both areas over the past decade. [65231/26]

Students in Ireland are significantly above the EU and OECD averages in all three core domains of Science, Reading and Mathematics, showing a strong performance in PISA 2025. In terms of overall mean scores, Ireland remains first in the EU in Reading, third in Science and fourth in Mathematics.

In terms of students performing below Level 2 specifically, in all domains assessed Ireland had a smaller proportion of lower-achieving students than both the OECD and EU averages. In Reading, Ireland had 16.5%, whereas the OECD had 31% and the EU had 33.9%. In Mathematics, Ireland had 24.2%, whereas the OECD had 34.9% and the EU had 34.8%. In Science, Ireland had 17.6%, whereas the OECD had 25.7% and the EU had 27.3%. These results are a testament to the success of Ireland’s approach to education where all learners are valued and supported to succeed. They also reflect the significant efforts we have put into the National Literacy, Numeracy & Digital Literacy Strategy.

However, I acknowledge that declines in mean score have been observed in Reading and Mathematics internationally, and that a similar, though less severe, pattern is observable in Ireland also. My department, including both policy officials and the Inspectorate, will be looking in detail at Ireland’s performance over the next period and considering how the findings can inform future educational strategies.

Further analysis will be taking place, both by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) who produced the PISA 2025 report, and by the Inspectorate, so that we gain further and deeper insights about Irish students’ performance. We will need to wait for the outcomes of these analyses to come to more definite conclusions; however, I would like to mention a number of initiatives that are already underway to support students across several different areas that may impact performance.

Supporting literacy and numeracy:As part of the progress review of the Literacy, Numeracy & Digital Literacy Strategy, my department is commissioning research this month to better understand trends around reading for pleasure, especially amongst boys; and confidence and attitudes to maths, especially amongst girls.

Attendance at school: International research indicates that absenteeism is correlated with poorer academic outcomes. We are therefore tackling non-attendance with targeted policies such as

Anseo - Multi-Dimensional Multi-Tiered System of Supports. This is an evidence-based approach to improving attendance that allows schools and support services to identify patterns of absenteeism at a whole-school and student level and to develop nuanced and timely responses to drivers of school absenteeism. Also, TUSLA Education Support Service (TESS), in conjunction with my department, is undertaking a five-year targeted and collaborative plan to improve school attendance. It will focus on policy, practice, implementation of the Anseo model, the expansion of TESS services to schools and families, and employing innovative ways to meet the needs of vulnerable learners.

Closing the gap of educational inequality:My department is committed to reducing inequality gaps and to supporting all students to thrive and succeed, regardless of socioeconomic status. The DEIS programme is a key policy initiative for addressing this. There are currently almost 1,200 primary and post-primary schools, or over 30% of all schools in the programme, supporting approximately 260,000 students, with investment for 2026 at €196.5m, increasing from 2027 to €228m annually. The DEIS Strategy to 2035, launched in March 2026, focuses on improving the opportunities and achievement levels of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage, working towards a more flexible system of supports to ensure that a school can receive the right support at the right time.

In addition, DEIS Plus is a new scheme, commencing this month, which provides enhanced, targeted supports to 129 schools (102 primary and 27 post-primary), with the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage. Building on the existing DEIS programme, the scheme provides a range of enhanced supports focused on key areas including attendance, engagement and retention; student wellbeing; strengthening school leadership and staff capacity; engagement with families and communities; and supporting progression and transitions to further and higher education.