DEIS - Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools

Merlin College was awarded DEIS status in 2022. As part of DEIS planning, we are looking at eight themes in relation to school improvement. The aim of the DEIS plan is to prioritise the following eight themes:

1. Literacy

2. Numeracy

3. Attendance

4. Retention

5. Supporting Educational Transition

6. Attainment

7. Partnership with Parents

8. Partnership with Others

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This is an inclusive, reflective and collaborative whole school process. Working on our DEIS plan encourages us to focus on and evaluate what is working well in our school as well as see what areas we can improve upon to enhance Learning and Teaching. The DEIS team works together throughout the year on the six-step process of SSE to collect and analyse data in relation to the eight DEIS themes. We then evaluate what is working well and see what needs to be improved in each area.

School Self Evaluation is a continuous process at Merlin College and embedded into our practices. The diagram below illustrates the 6 step process that schools implement in the SSE journey.

Theme	Parent / Guardian Input
Literacy	Encourage your child to read for pleasure at home. Encourage your child to practice their communication skills and take part in public speaking events such as joining a debating team.
Numeracy	Highlight the importance of numeracy skills in everyday life. Point out numeracy moments at home and in everyday life.
Attendance	Ensure your child attends school every day for the full duration of the day. Ensure your child arrives to school on time every day
Retention	Highlight the importance of school completion to your child. Encourage your child to get involved in the different extra and co-curricular opportunities given to them while still engaging with their classwork and homework.
Supporting Educational Transitions	Discuss your child’s transition to their new school (from 6th class to 1st year) and see how they are getting on. Speak to your child about the options available to them after junior cycle and attend information evenings. Discuss your child’s subject options with them. Have a conversation around different pathways available after your child completes their leaving certificate.
Attainment	Discuss week ten, week twenty, Mocks and end of year assessment results as well as class test results with your child and areas of improvement (academic tracking). Ensure your child completes their homework every evening. Sign the school journal once a week to see communication from school. Praise your child and recognise their efforts.
Partnership With Parents	Attend parent teacher meetings for your child. Attend parent information evenings. Ensure you can access VSware to receive communications from the school. Join the Parents Association.
Partnership with Others	Let the school (HSCL Home School Community Liaison officer) know if you are able to assist in building links between the school and external organisations.