Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton has announced a €48m investment in the new DEIS Plus Scheme which will include four Galway schools.
The Galway schools are – Radharc na Mara National School, Mervue, Scoil an Chroi Naofa, Ballinasloe, S N Bride Naofa, Shantalla Road and Galway Community College, Móinín na gCiseach.
The Minister has also published the DEIS Strategy to 2035, a comprehensive ten-year plan to address educational disadvantage and promote equity across all schools supported by this investment.
Also published today is the first three-year DEIS Implementation Plan 2026-2028.
The DEIS Plus scheme will provide enhanced, targeted supports to 121 schools with the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage.
In total, the measures announced under DEIS Plus and the DEIS Strategy will deliver over 400 additional roles, including approximately 350 teacher posts, benefiting some 700 schools nationwide.
Key measures include:
1. Major investment in tackling disadvantage
The Government is committing €48 million annually to a new DEIS Plus Scheme and the DEIS Strategy to 2035, marking a significant step-up in addressing educational inequality across Ireland.
2. Targeted support where it is needed most
A total of 121 schools with the highest levels of disadvantage will receive intensive, tailored supports through DEIS Plus, using a new data driven identification model to maximise our impact.
3. Real resources: more teachers, more support staff
The plan will deliver over 400 additional roles, including around 350 new teachers, directly strengthening schools’ capacity to support students at risk.
4. Broader reach beyond DEIS schools
Supports are expanding, with Home School Community Liaison (HSCL ) services extended to 130 additional schools, including those outside the traditional DEIS programme, widening the safety net for vulnerable young people.
5. Long term vision backed by immediate action
This is not just a policy announcement but a roadmap: a 10-year strategy to 2035, backed by a first implementation plan (2026–2028 ), ensuring sustained progress and accountability.
6. Increased funding directly into schools
DEIS grant funding is being increased for 371 primary and 82 post-primary schools, putting additional resources straight into classrooms to support students and school communities.
Minister Naughton said that every child and young person deserves the chance to stay in school, to feel supported, and to thrive.
“This programme is about putting their needs at the centre, about strengthening their wellbeing and giving the opportunity to break the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage.
“The DEIS Strategy to 2035 and the introduction of the DEIS Plus scheme will deliver a more responsive, evidence-based system of supports, reaching children and young people wherever educational disadvantage exists.
“These measures ensure that we are targeting resources where they are needed the most and support schools to make a real and lasting difference,” she concluded.
