I have reduced the class sizes in DEIS Urban Band 1 schools in each of the past three budgets. I provided for a one point improvement in the staffing schedule for DEIS Urban Band 1 schools for the 2021/22 school year, a further 1 point improvement for 2022/23 and Budget 2023 brings in a further 1 point reduction from next September.
This means that from September 2023 the staffing schedule for DEIS Urban Band 1 vertical schools will be 19:1, DEIS Urban Band 1 junior schools will be 17:1 and DEIS Urban Band 1 senior schools will be 21:1.
It is estimated that each 1 point improvement in the staffing schedule for DEIS Urban Band 1 schools, would require an additional 70 teaching posts. The cost for each additional post is approximately €55,000.
The mainstream staffing schedule applies to all DEIS Urban Band 2 and DEIS Rural schools. For the third consecutive year I have brought in a measure to reduce class sizes for all schools, including DEIS Urban Band 2 and DEIS Rural schools, by lowering the staffing schedule and bringing it to an historic low of 23:1.
Any further improvement in the staffing schedule must be considered in the context of the annual budgetary process.
My Department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential.
Supplementing the universal supports available to all schools, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a key policy initiative of my Department to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level in a targeted and equitable way across the primary and post-primary sector.
May Departments allocated €180 million annually to support schools in the DEIS programme. The programme now includes 1,200 schools and supports approximately 240,000 students. This means 1 in 4 of all students are now supported in the programme.
There are currently:
306 DEIS Urban Band 1 Schools
149 DEIS Urban Band 2 Schools
510 DEIS Rural Schools
235 DEIS Post-Primary Schools
1,200 Total
