St. Joseph’s Boys National School in Abbeytown, Boyle has been added to the DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools programme.
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.
St. Joseph’s is one of five schools in North Roscommkon that was recently nomiated by Minister for Education Norma Foley to be included. The others are Ballyfarnon NS, SN Naomh Phadraig, Strokestown, SN Pol Naofa, Church St. Castlerea and Tarmon NS Castlerea and in the post primary category – St Nathy’s Ballaghadereen and Castlerea Community School.
The news has been welcomed by Minister Frank Feighan who said: “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”.
“Under this scheme new rural based schools are entitled to DEIS grant paid based on level of disadvantage and enrolment:
Access to School Meals Programme
Access to planning supports
Access to a range of professional development supports
Additional funding under School Books Grant Scheme
“I am delighted with this announcement which will provide real and meaningful supports for the nominated schools and their pupils” declared Minister Feighan.
“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” concluded Minister Feighan.
Minister Foley said: “I am delighted to announce today 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.
