Enhanced supports are to be put in place in schools to meet the needs of children and young people growing up in areas with the highest levels of disadvantage.
While the exact range of supports is still to be finalised, Minister for Education Helen McEntee said she is considering enhanced funding, staffing supports, and priority access to wellbeing supports, and that she will engage with key stakeholders in the development of the scheme.
The minister has said that tackling disadvantage will be one of her top priorities.
She is expected to say that a new DEIS Action Plan will be published in 2025, which will focus on improving the opportunities and achievement levels of children at risk of educational disadvantage, developing more innovative approaches to tackling educational disadvantage, and working towards a more flexible system of supports for schools.
School absenteeism has increased significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic and Ms McEntee has said she is committed to reversing this trend.
As part of this, she has said she will look at expanding the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) scheme as well as bringing other support services together to develop actions.
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Ms McEntee said that the new programme will build on supports already in place to prevent educational disadvantage.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Ms McEntee said that her objective over the next four years is to see every young person supported to achieve their full potential.
"The programme there that’s been in place for a number of years is providing additional targeted measures for young people in areas of disadvantage, what I want to do is heighten that even more," she said.
She said that the programme will be carried out in consultation with teachers, school leaders, and students.
"It’s about not just reducing class sizes, having increased funding, but how do we make sure where there is perhaps inter-generational trauma, how do we make sure where children need access to therapies, to mental health supports, that we’re providing that.
"It’s only when you tackle some of those issues, then young people are able to look at the curriculum itself and how do we make sure that they stay in school, and they can achieve the best outcome possible," she said.
Ms McEntee added that it is her goal to "close the gap" in terms of attainment, between DEIS schools and non-DEIS schools.
A group of DEIS schools in Dublin city have welcomed the minister's outlining of her intentions, but said it still remains to be seen what the supports are, when the enhanced DEIS plan will be implemented and where it will be rolled out.
"We have been highlighting the need for special supports to be put in place to specifically address the trauma in children in DEIS schools," said Conor McCarthy, Principal of Tallaght Community National School and representing a group of principals in DEIS schools in the Dublin areas.
Expressing some concern around a focus on improving literacy and numeracy in DEIS schools, he said the reason why many children could not achieve their academic potential was because of other factors in their lives.
He said that apart from the trauma experienced as a result of poverty itself, a very significant number of children attending DEIS schools have experienced direct trauma as a result of abuse, neglect, violence, crime or substance abuse.
He called for additional teaching staff to be put in place so that schools can work with children to address such trauma.
"That is a massive barrier and it is the reason why they aren't able to achieve their potential in literacy and numeracy."
