Press release
Minister Foley announces €32 million major expansion of the DEIS programme incorporating 310 new schools
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Education Norma Foley today announced a major expansion of the DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools programme that will see the programme extended to an additional 310 schools. For the first time since 2017 the DEIS programme is being significantly expanded and eligible schools will now gain access to targeted supports to address educational disadvantage. In addition 37 existing DEIS schools are being reclassified and eligible for increased supports.
Currently 884 schools and over 180,000 students benefit from the DEIS programme. As a result of this announcement from September 2022, this will increase to 1,194 schools and over 240,000 students.
Schools in the DEIS programme avail of a range of targeted supports aimed at tackling educational disadvantage, including additional classroom teaching posts, home school community liaison coordinator posts, DEIS grant funding and access to the School Completion Programme.
Schools have been identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics-based model which uses information from the Department of Education enrolment databases and the Pobal HP Deprivation index. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and the model has been applied fairly and equally to all schools.
Minister Foley said:
"I am delighted to announce today the largest-ever single investment in the DEIS programme and the addition of 310 new schools. The DEIS programme is an internationally recognised, proven programme that provides targeted resources to schools with the highest levels of concentrated educational disadvantage to support their students to have an equal opportunity to achieve their potential in education. This investment will provide for in the region of 160 additional primary teaching posts, approximately 100 additional home school community liaison posts, additional guidance and leadership posts as well as DEIS grants and enhanced book grant funding.
"This announcement follows an intensive undertaking of work by the DEIS technical group, which involved valuable input from stakeholders. The refined DEIS identification model 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. It also takes into consideration the significant educational disadvantage experienced by Traveller and Roma learners and of students residing in direct provision or emergency homeless accommodation. Using this approach we can extend the additional targeted supports of the DEIS programme to those schools serving high concentrations of students at risk of educational disadvantage and be confident that the largest investment to date in the DEIS programme is being provided to those schools most in need.
"This announcement achieves the Programme for Government commitment to complete the new DEIS identification model and to extend DEIS status to schools serving the highest numbers of pupils at risk of educational disadvantage. It is a further step towards achieving my department’s goal to ensure equity of opportunity in education and that all students are supported to fulfil their potential. The successful delivery of this goal means that our school system is open and welcoming for all students, regardless of background, and that in particular, students at risk of educational disadvantage will be supported to achieve their full potential. It is my intention to keep working towards achieving that vision."
Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion Josepha Madigan welcomed the updated model, saying:
"Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to inclusive education and supporting students facing disadvantage. I am pleased that we can provide additional supports to those schools and communities that need it most. Our education system rightly places a strong emphasis on equal opportunity for everyone, no matter their background, and this is something I very strongly support. I want to commend all those who have worked on finalising the new model as well as those who continue to work every day to support and empower young people through education."
The Department of Education will work with the schools that will benefit from the programme to support them to make the transition. Information sessions will be held for schools in the coming weeks on the DEIS programme, what supports will be available to schools and to support them in planning for improvement. Materials are in development to inform parents and students of the benefits of inclusion in the DEIS programme.
From September 2022, these schools will access all supports under the programme to match their respective band. Schools are assigned to the DEIS bands based on the location of the school and their level of concentrated educational disadvantage.
Following the review of the DEIS programme, based on the feedback from stakeholders, a new approach to identifying schools for inclusion in the DEIS programme was launched in 2017.
The DEIS identification model uses information from the Department of Education enrolment databases and the Pobal HP Deprivation index.
The HP index uses data from the national census to measure the level of disadvantage or affluence in an area. Information taken into account includes demographic growth, education levels, single parent rate, overcrowding, social class and unemployment. It is often used, for example, by state agencies to identify areas most in need of resources.
In the DEIS identification model, student addresses are assigned to the relevant geographical “small areas” from the index. Schools’ level of disadvantage was measured based on the proportion of students from disadvantaged “small areas”.
The DEIS Plan in 2017 noted that refinements were needed to the DEIS identification model to improve how resources were allocated.
A comprehensive analysis of various options and approaches, which has been informed by consultation with stakeholders, has led to the following refinements which have now been added to the existing model.
The refined DEIS identification model will extend its reach to consider students from areas designated as borderline disadvantaged, that is, those with a HP index score of between -7.5 and -10. Until now the model only considered those who were designated as disadvantaged under the HP index.
Students from areas with an index score of -7.5 and below in each individual school are separated into 3 groups based on their level of disadvantage and assigned a weighting so that severity of disadvantage can be addressed in the model. These groupings are:
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.
Schools are identified for inclusion in the DEIS programme based on a standardised disadvantage score and/or the proportion of students with a HP score at or below -10. Schools with the highest levels of disadvantage under either of these measurements are included in the DEIS programme.
Overall, the refined DEIS identification model builds on the previous version and will ensure that that those schools most in need are provided with additional, targeted resources to complement the universal resources allocated by the department to schools to address educational disadvantage.
The Pobal HP Deprivation index provides a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a small geographical area, using data compiled from the National Census. It is used by several State agencies for the identification of disadvantage, for example, in order to target resources to communities most in need. Ireland is divided into approximately 18,500 small areas, each covering on average just under 100 households. Each area is assigned a HP deprivation index which serves as an indicator of relative affluence or deprivation. The HP index is based on the combination of three components of demographic profile, social class composition and labour market situation. More specifically, measures that are combined in the HP Index are related to demographic growth, dependency ratios, education levels, single parent rate, overcrowding, social class, occupation and unemployment rates.
The use of the index in the context of educational disadvantage is consistent with its use across a broad range of government departments and agencies including Department of Health (DOH), Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD), Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), Pobal and the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Analysis undertaken by the Technical Group in relation to the initial development of the identification model identified a significant correlation between the HP index and educational outcomes, particularly in urban areas. The OECD has noted in its paper “Towards equity in school funding policies” that internationally, the use of census based approaches provides integrity to the system and reduces the reporting burden on schools.
The DEIS technical group was established as part of the review of the DEIS programme to examine potential options for a model which would measure the level of concentrated disadvantage of schools and identify those with the highest levels to be included in DEIS. Following the publication of the DEIS Plan in 2017, it continued its work seeking to refine and enhance the DEIS identification model. The group comprises of officials from the department’s Statistics Unit, Social Inclusion Unit, Special Education Section, the Inspectorate and the ERC.
The Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) programme is the Department of Education’s main policy initiative to respond to educational disadvantage. The DEIS programme focuses on targeting additional resources at those schools with the highest concentrations of students who are at risk of educational disadvantage. This is based on the existence of a ‘multiplier effect’, meaning that students in these schools have been found to have less positive educational outcomes, even taking account of individual social background.
In the 2021/22 academic year there are 884 schools (687 primary and 197 post-primary) in the DEIS programme serving over 180,000 students. This represents approximately 20% of the overall school population. These schools were identified for inclusion in the programme in 2006 with a subsequent additional extension of the programme in 2017. Schools in the programme avail of access to supports such as home-school community liaison (HSCL) coordinators, reduced class sizes for Urban Band 1 schools, DEIS grants, enhanced school book grants, priority access to continuing professional development for teachers, enhanced access to leadership posts and access to the School Completion Programme. The department’s Inspectorate supports DEIS schools in planning and through advisory visits.