6.3.1 Policy and strategy

6.3.1 Policy and strategy

Social inclusion remains a key priority for the Department

Social inclusion is a key priority for the Department of Education. In this regard, the Social Inclusion Unit (SIU), a unit within the broader Department, is responsible for developing and promoting a co-ordinated approach to tackling educational disadvantage from pre-school through to post-primary education.

The Inspectorate works closely with SIU on all matters relating to Social Inclusion, in particular in relation to the implementation of Delivering Equality of Opportunity In Schools (DEIS). The Inspectorate participates in a number of working groups established by the SIU to progress policy in the area of educational disadvantage. These include the DEIS Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, which is chaired by the Principal Officer in the SIU and the Department’s DEIS steering group. Through this close collaboration with SIU, practices in DEIS schools are highlighted by the Inspectorate, thus contributing to the Department’s policy on social inclusion.

The remainder of this section explores some of the key developments in the area of social inclusion over the period to which this report refers.

The DEIS plan 2017 set out an ambitious range of objectives and actions to support children and young people at greatest risk of educational disadvantage

The DEIS Plan 2017 replaced the DEIS Action Plan for Educational Inclusion (2005). The plan aims to promote better educational outcomes for pupils/students from the most disadvantaged communities and to maximise the chances of every child and young person getting the best possible opportunity to fulfil their educational potential. It sets out the vision for future intervention in the critical area of social inclusion in education policy and remains the Department’s policy instrument to address educational disadvantage.

Schools are expected to develop an action plan for improvement encompassing the following areas or themes: attendance, retention105, transitions106, literacy, numeracy, examination attainment (post-primary only), and partnership with parents, schools, educational providers and external agencies, all of which had been included in the 2005 action plan. Additional themes relating to wellbeing, continuing professional development (CPD) and leadership were introduced in the DEIS Plan 2017. Schools were required to revise their existing DEIS plans to incorporate actions relating to these new themes.

In the planning process, schools are expected to agree targets under each of the DEIS themes, that will inform teachers’ individual and collaborative planning for teaching and learning.

While the principal of each school has overall responsibility for leading the process of action planning for improvement, the co-ordination of planning for individual themes is delegated frequently to individual teachers or staff teams.

105 The target in relation to retention in DEIS Plan 2017 is to continue to improve retention rates at second-level in DEIS schools from their current rate of 82.7% to the national norm, currently 90.2%, by 2025. 106 There are a number of key transitions for children and young people as they move across the education continuum: • From home to pre-school setting • From pre-school to the junior year of primary school • From junior to senior classes at primary level • From primary school to post-primary school • From Junior to Senior Cycle within post-primary school • From post-primary school to further and higher education and the world of work

6.3.2 National and international research

Findings from research suggest that the DEIS programme is having a positive impact on achievement in DEIS primary and post-primary schools

Since 2007, the Educational Research Centre (ERC), has been undertaking, on behalf of the Department, an ongoing independent evaluation of the School Support Programme (SSP) component of DEIS in primary and post-primary schools. The School Support Programme brought together, and builds upon, existing interventions for schools and school clusters/communities with a concentrated level of educational disadvantage. The evaluation has been ‎monitoring implementation of the programme and assessing its impact on participants.

A report 107, published by the ERC in 2017, described the results of testing in reading and Mathematics among 17,000 second, third, fifth and sixth class pupils in 118 urban DEIS primary schools in 2016. The findings indicated that achievement in reading and Mathematics had continued to improve in DEIS primary schools, and that this had been accompanied by increased positivity among pupils towards school and education. However, the report cautioned that, in the absence of a control group, the degree to which growth in achievement since 2007 could be directly attributed to participation in DEIS was unclear. It also noted that interpretation of the gains in urban DEIS primary schools was complicated by the finding in the most recent national assessments of achievement in reading and Mathematics 108 that standards had increased among second and sixth class pupils nationally between 2009 and 2014.

In January 2019, the ERC published a report on DEIS schools109 that examined trends in achievement and attainment over time in DEIS and non-DEIS post-primary schools. Student attainment was defined in terms of junior and senior cycle retention rates, and student achievement in terms of performance in the Junior Certificate Examination. While positive trends in achievement and attainment were identified in both DEIS and non-DEIS schools since 2002, there was evidence that improvements were more marked in DEIS than in non-DEIS schools. It is also encouraging to note from the findings that, since the introduction of DEIS in the 2006/2007 school year, there had been reductions in the proportion of students in DEIS schools sitting foundation level papers in English and Mathematics, and increases in the proportion sitting higher level papers in these subjects. For example, in 2007, approximately one-quarter (24%) of students in DEIS schools who sat the Junior Certificate Mathematics examination took a foundation level paper. By 2016, this had reduced to 13%. Furthermore, the proportion of DEIS students taking the higher level Mathematics paper increased from 19% in 2007 to 33% in 2016. The corresponding change in non-DEIS schools was from 48% in 2007 to 61% in 2016. The findings suggest the improvements in DEIS schools may be associated with participation in the programme.

In the Programme for International Student Assessment 2018, the average score of students in DEIS post-primary schools was on par with the OECD average in reading; in Mathematics and Science it was below the OECD average, but the percentage of low achievers in Mathematics had reduced.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) measures the outcomes of education achieved by the age of fifteen. The findings offer the opportunity to compare the achievements of students in DEIS post-primary schools with those in non-DEIS post-primary schools. In 2020, the ERC published a report110 that detailed the reading, mathematics and science achievement of students in DEIS and non-DEIS post-primary schools.

Findings from PISA 2018 show that while the average reading score in DEIS post-primary schools was at the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average, and the difference in average reading achievement between DEIS and non-DEIS post-primary schools was lower in 2018 than in 2009, there remains a high percentage of students in DEIS post-primary schools with low reading

107 Kavanagh, E., Weir, S. and Moran, E. (2017) The Evaluation of DEIS: Monitoring Achievement and Attitudes among Urban Primary School Pupils from 2007 to 2016. Available at: https://www.erc.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/DEIS-report-2017.pdf 108 Shiel, G., Kavanagh, L. and Millar, D. (2015) The 2014 National Assessments of English Reading and Mathematics. Available at: https://www.erc.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/NA_2014_Vol1_Final-updated.pdf 109 Weir, S. and Kavanagh, L. (2019) The Evaluation of DEIS at Post-primary Level: Closing the Achievement and Attainment Gaps. Available at: http://www.erc.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Weir-Kavanagh-2018-DEIS-post-primary.pdf 110 Gilleece L., Nelis, S.M., Fitzgerald, C. and Cosgrove, J. (2020) Reading, Mathematics and Science Achievement in DEIS schools: Evidence from PISA 2018. Available at: https://www.erc.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ERC-DEIS-Report_Sept-2020_A4_ Website.pdf

achievement. Of particular concern in this regard is the finding of lower levels of reading enjoyment and ‘reading self-concept’111 amongst students in DEIS post-primary schools than in non-DEIS post-primary schools, given the relationship between student engagement with reading and positive attitudes towards reading, and overall reading achievement.

In PISA 2018, students in DEIS post-primary schools scored below the OECD average in Mathematics and Science. Average scores in Mathematics and Science of students in DEIS post-primary schools were also significantly below those of students in non-DEIS post-primary schools with a difference of 43.8 and 41 score points respectively in favour of non-DEIS post-primary schools. However, there was a substantial reduction in the percentage of students in DEIS post-primary schools at the lowest levels of mathematics achievement; in 2012, 37% of students in DEIS post-primary schools were low achievers and by 2018, this had reduced to 28%. A small percentage (3.6%) of students in DEIS post-primary schools reached the highest levels of achievement in Mathematics; the corresponding percentage in non-DEIS post-primary schools was 9.7%.

Students in DEIS post-primary schools also scored below the OECD average in Science in 2018. Their average science performance was significantly lower than the average of students in non-DEIS postprimary schools. The percentage of low achieving students in Science was higher in DEIS post-primary schools (28.2%) compared to non-DEIS post-primary schools (13.5%). A small percentage (3.1%) of students in DEIS post-primary schools reached the highest levels of achievement in Science; the corresponding percentage in non-DEIS post-primary schools was 6.7%.

The ERC report cautions that it is important to situate the achievement gaps identified within the broader context of the challenges faced by students, teachers and the wider school community in DEIS schools. The report advises that understanding the particular challenges faced by students in DEIS schools may help in tailoring interventions so that maximum benefit can be derived from supports provided under DEIS.