Department of Education - Review of DEIS
- Published: 02 June 2016
The DES are currently reviewing DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools).
On the 23rd May 2016 the DES held an Education Partners Forum to brief the education partners on the situation and also to get feedback from the partners. DEIS started in its current format in 2005. However no new schools have been added to DEIS since 2009. The DES are acutely aware that there is an urgent need to address this, especially with new schools. The ERC and the inspectorate have evaluated the current DEIS. As we all know the findings are very favourable. The DES want to develop a new robust model that can be used to evaluate schools for DEIS. The overall scope of the review is to assess the existing DEIS Programme in the context of evaluations to date and any relevant policy and other developments, in order to inform future policy on educational disadvantage.
The review project involves a number of strands:
- Stakeholder consultation is a key component of the process and, at the outset, the education partners were invited on the 23rd May 2016 for their views on both the current and future operation of the programme. Comprehensive submissions were received and are being considered as part of the review.
- An internal DEIS Advisory Group within my Department is considering the make-up of the current DEIS School Support Programme in the context of the learning from the implementation of the programme to date and the input of education stakeholders
- An Interdepartmental Group (DES, DCYA, DSP, D/Health, D/Environment) is considering current and potential future supports to tackle educational disadvantage provided by other Government Departments and agencies in order to ensure greater cohesion and cross-sectoral cooperation for future service delivery
- A Technical Advisory Group is examining available data sources in order to develop an improved identification process for the inclusion of schools in any future resource allocation framework to tackle educational disadvantage. During this process, all aspects of the DEIS programme are being considered including the identification of schools.
The next steps involve:
- Identification Process – Build the model and identify schools
- Complete stakeholder Identification
- School supports – identify interventions and cost proposals
- Develop Monitoring and Evaluation Framework
- Formal Proposal to Minister and Government
