'Largest ever' rise in funding for disadvantaged schools in Budget

The Déis programme provides additional teaching and other support resources to schools, aimed at tackling educational disadvantage.

Budget 2022 includes “the largest ever” increase in funding for disadvantaged schools, according to the Minister for Education.

Further details on the Department of Education’s 2022 budget have been released this Wednesday ahead of a briefing by Norma Foley and Jospeha Madigan, Minister of State for Special Education, this lunchtime.

Included in the department’s €9.2bn allocation is an increase of more than 20% in funding for the Déis programme, allowing it to expand in 2022 to more schools.

How many schools?

However, the Department of Education has yet to announce how many schools the €18m expansion will cover. The Déis programme provides additional teaching and other support resources to schools, aimed at tackling educational disadvantage.

Increased funding for the programme follows an “extensive body of work” undertaken on the Déis identification model, according to the department.

This involved analysis, conducted by the Déis technical group, into elements to refine the Déis identification model and an initial process of consultation by the Department of Education with the education partners.

According to the Department of Education, there will be further consultation in the coming weeks with the relevant stakeholders to outline components of the model prior to its application.

A further one-point improvement in the staffing schedule for Déis Urban Band 1 schools will bring the total allocation in 2023 to €180m.

“During the last two years, the central importance of schools and education in the lives of our children and young people has been understood across society in a renewed way,” Minister Foley said.

We have a deeper appreciation than ever how important the chances that we provide to children and young people are, and how essential a good school experience is, for their present as well as their future.

Funding secured in this year’s budget will provide for more than 1,700 new special class places next year, according to Josepha Madigan, Minister of State for Special Education.

“We are also providing administrative principals to schools that currently have teaching principals and two or more special classes.”

 “The special education funding for 2022 is over a quarter of the current expenditure budget for the Department of Education.”