Seven Cavan schools to qualify for additional supports under DEIS

A major expansion of the DEIS schools' programme has been announced.

The Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools initiative will see the programme extended to an additional 310 schools, with an additional investment of €32M.

A total of seven primary schools in County Cavan will be added to the list from September, making them eligible for additional supports and grants.

They are Corlea NS in Kingscourt; Convent of Mercy NS in Belturbet, Ballinagh NS, St Patrick's NS in Blacklion, Bailieborough NS, St Clare's NS in Ballyjamesduff and Gaelscoil Bhreifne in Cavan Town.

It marks the first time since 2017 that the programme has been significantly expanded. It means eligible schools gain access to targeted supports to address educational disadvantage.

Such supports include additional teachers, home school community liaison co-ordinators, grant funding and access to the School Completion Programme.

In addition, 37 existing DEIS schools are being reclassified and, as such, will be eligible for increased supports.

Cavan Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smith has welcomed the expansion of the programme.

"This programme provides valuable additional supports for pupils and indeed there is a need to include other schools in Cavan and Monaghan under this programme," he said.

His Dáil colleague Niamh Smyth was equally delighted: "The DEIS programme is an internationally recognised, proven programme that provides targeted resources to schools with the highest levels of concentrated educational disadvantage and supports their students to have an equal opportunity to achieve their potential in education."

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 are assigned to the DEIS bands based on the location of the school and their level of concentrated educational disadvantage.

The new schools have been identified for inclusion in the programme through a refined DEIS identification model. This is an objective, statistics-based model, which uses information from the Department of Education enrolment databases and the Pobal HP Deprivation index.

Minister Foley said: "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."

Minister Foley said the expansion was a further step towards ensuring "equity of opportunity in education and that all students are supported to fulfil their potential".

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.