Extension of DEIS to further schools

On Wednesday 9 March 2022, Minister for Education Norma Foley announced an extension of the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) programme. You can read the press release at the following link: Minister Foley announces €32 million major expansion of the DEIS programme incorporating 310 new schools

The programme will include an additional 322 schools (284 primary and 38 post-primary) from September 2022.

You can find the list of schools that will benefit here

The schools selected for inclusion in DEIS and for classification as DEIS Urban Band 1 were identified using the refined DEIS identification model. The model uses information from the 2021/22 Department of Education enrolment databases and 2016 national census data as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation index.

The refined DEIS identification model being applied for schools in 2022 builds on the objectivity and fairness of the 2017 version, but now captures a greater breadth of disadvantage and accounts for severity of disadvantage through the application of a weighted process.

The model now includes components to reflect the levels of educational disadvantage experienced by students who have self-identified as Traveller or Roma, students in direct provision centres and students who are experiencing homelessness. The model was applied to all schools, schools did not need to apply.

The completion of the refined DEIS identification model follows an extensive undertaking of work by the DEIS technical group.

The initial application of the refined DEIS identification model identified 310 schools (273 primary and 37 post-primary) for inclusion in the programme from September 2022. In addition 37 existing DEIS schools were identified for reclassification (35 existing DEIS schools reclassified with DEIS Urban Band 1 status and 2 DEIS rural schools reclassified as Urban Band 2). This is what was announced on 9 March 2022.

All schools that were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data, were provided with the opportunity to make an appeal. Circular 0019/2022 outlined the details of the DEIS appeals process.

Under the DEIS appeals process, schools were provided with the opportunity to have the application of the refined DEIS identification model to their schools data reviewed. The appeals process also offered schools the opportunity to review their school enrolment data which they had submitted to the Department and to improve its accuracy if necessary. The closing date for appeals was 29 April 2022. The outcome of the appeals process was communicated to schools on 29 June 2022. Following the appeals process 16 schools benefitted. This comprises 12 schools (11 primary and 1 post-primary) to be included in the DEIS programme from September 2022 and 4 schools reclassified to Urban Band 1.

Schools received notification from the Department of Education that they are to be included in the DEIS programme on 09 March 2022. Further details will be sent to these schools in the coming weeks about an information session on what to expect arising from a school becoming part of the DEIS programme.

The DEIS programme is the Department’s main policy initiative to respond to educational disadvantage. The DEIS programme focuses on targeting additional resources to those schools included in the programme to ensure every child has an equal opportunity to achieve their potential.

Schools coming into DEIS will be provided with access to supports which are the same as those provided to schools currently in the programme. At primary level this is based on what ‘DEIS band’ the school is in.

Schools are assigned to DEIS Urban Band 1, DEIS Urban Band 2 or DEIS Rural on the basis of the location of the schools and its level of disadvantage.

Resources available under the DEIS programme are used by schools to provide their students with the support and opportunities that they may not otherwise be available to them.

Some of the supports that schools in DEIS get are home-school community liaison support to build a positive relationships between the student’s home and school lives and an enhanced school book grant rate to ease the financial burden on families and schools.

A full list of the supports available to DEIS schools is available here.

Disadvantage occurs throughout our communities and schools. Resources are provided to all schools to support all students to have the opportunity to reach their potential.

The Department of Education provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and to address barriers to students achieving their potential. Some examples of these supports are:

• Schools are now allocated classroom teaching posts on the basis of 24 pupils to one teacher. This allows for the lowest class sizes ever in Ireland.
• A school book grant is made available to every school
• Guidance posts are provided at post-primary level
• Access to the Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS)
• Continuous profession development for staff is available to all schools

The schools included in the DEIS programme at this time are those that have been assessed as having highest percentage of students that come from backgrounds at risk of educational disadvantage. This assessment has been made using the refined DEIS identification model.

Schools that have not been included at this time are those that have not been identified as being in that category. The fact a school has not been included in the programme on this occasion does not mean that it may not change at a later date. This could happen, if at a later date, the programme is reviewed and at that time the level of disadvantage in the school meet the requirements for entry into the DEIS programme in the future.