Written answer
School Funding
The Minister said the DEIS Strategy to 2035 will develop a more flexible, needs-based resource model for pupils at risk of disadvantage across all schools, but there are no plans to add schools to DEIS at present. Schools can also access universal supports including NEPS, special education teaching, free schoolbooks and Inspectorate advice.
257. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to a meeting with representatives of a school (details supplied), if she will outline the follow-up undertaken by her Department; whether the school’s circumstances and needs have since been reviewed; what additional targeted resources, staffing or funding are available to schools demonstrating significant disadvantage but which do not meet the current DEIS criteria; and whether a mechanism exists for such schools to have their circumstances individually reviewed. [74981/26]
Comment on this
Addressing educational disadvantage in all schools remains a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth.
The DEIS Strategy to 2035, published in March this year, is the first long-term, whole-system approach to addressing educational disadvantage. This strategy recognises education as central to breaking cycles of disadvantage, expanding opportunity, and ensuring long-term security. It sets out a more flexible model of support, so that resources are aligned with each school’s level of need as it changes over time. The strategy also acknowledges that students at risk of educational disadvantage are present in all schools. It therefore focuses on improving outcomes, encouraging innovation, and ensuring schools can access the right supports when needed.
The DEIS Strategy implementation plan 2026-2028, under the 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.
In light of these actions, there is currently no intention to expand the DEIS programme to include new schools. Any future additional allocation of resources under the DEIS programme will be considered over the lifetime of the DEIS Strategy to 2035 and in the context of available resources.
There are also a range of universal supports available to all schools to support children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage. These include:
• National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychological service to all primary and post-primary schools and special schools to support the well-being, academic, social and emotional development of all learners.
• The Special Education Teaching (SET) allocation provides a unified allocation for special education support teaching needs to each school based on each school’s educational profile and also encompasses an element of English as an additional language (EAL) support allocation. Under this SET model, schools are frontloaded with resources to provide support immediately to those pupils who need it without delay.
• Free schoolbooks are provided to all children and young people in the free education system.
• Inspectorate support helps improve education provision for all children and young people. They promote best practice and school improvement by advising teachers, principals and boards of management in schools.