Ms Maria Joyce:

The right of every child to an education is clear in the Constitution. What is also clear is the State's failure to ensure that every Traveller has the right to equality of education in terms of access to, participation in and outcomes from it. There is a policy on suspensions but reduced timetables are being used as another form of suspension without calling it a suspension, as has been said, to ensure the school does not have to deal with the fallout from it. There is a hidden practice of suspensions through reduced timetables which is significantly impacting on particular groups of children in the education system. One of those groups is Traveller children. Where there are behavioural issues they must be addressed, but let us be clear that it is not the behaviour of the child that is an issue in all instances. There are low expectations feeding into that and some teachers have said that it is about low attainment levels and the child's struggle to engage in the class. That should be further resourced. It should not be reduced timetables which put the child further back in respect of attainment levels. We see this practice in primary school in particular.

Reduced timetables should not happen in any shape or form, except for clear medical reasons with clear guidance and protocols on a statutory basis. If there are issues and challenges the school must address them with the parents and whatever agencies and support services are available. That is not happening. There is no rationale for putting the majority of Traveller children who are on reduced timetables on such timetables. It should not be happening. We are hearing that it is the first port of call for some schools, although not all schools, with regard to Traveller children.

One of the case studies we provided in our submission was about a young Traveller girl in sixth year. She was effectively the last man standing in terms of her cohort of four or five friends and relations who were Traveller children who had dropped out by that stage. A request was made to the school to let her sit in with the third year canteen where there was a cousin and three other Traveller girls who were doing their junior certificate. It was refused. In the follow-up discussion with the mother and the principal the only alternative on the table was putting her on a reduced timetable, which the mother said was not an option. She wanted to get her child to leaving certificate and the best opportunity for that was being in the classroom for the full day. Subsequent to that, the four Traveller children who were in the junior certificate year and in the canteen the mother had asked the school to let her daughter sit with were put on reduced timetables. There were no behavioural issues. As there is one school in that same location that is putting excessive numbers of Traveller children on reduced timetables, the Traveller children in other schools are seeking to be transferred to it to get the shorter timetable. That is also a product of the lack of expectations from the education system with regard to Traveller children.

There were questions about the lack of data and numbers and on how schools reached that decision. In some ways we are equally at a loss on that. The schools are saying that data are not being collected. We have been told that the inspectorate does not ask about reduced timetables. If the Minister is stating at national level that this practice is unacceptable but the schools are employing it to excess with particular groups of children without just cause or they are opting for that as the solution rather than working out the rest of the issue, that is incredibly unacceptable and must be addressed. It must be stamped out. Schools must be held to account where it is not being addressed.

As regards Traveller children being put on reduced timetables in primary school, those children will be lost to the system in terms of trying to then engage with a secondary school system where there is a history of educational disadvantage, marginalisation, discrimination and racism. Those children will not get to junior certificate or leaving certificate. We see that borne out across the board in the statistics. It must be seriously addressed.

Section 29 on the procedure for suspensions is in place, but it puts the onus back on parents. The onus should not be on parents. Schools should be held to account in this regard. In terms of assessing the scale of the current situation with reduced timetables it is important that an independent investigation is undertaken by the Ombudsman for Children that looks at the numbers, the scale of it, the reasons for it and the consequences for the children who are put on those timetables.

Yes, resources are needed. There have been widespread cuts in resources, particularly in Traveller education. We have seen the consequences of that, as the committee heard in the earlier meeting in March. Currently, albeit anecdotally, the transfer rate of Traveller children from primary to secondary is only 80%. That is unacceptable and must be addressed. Resources must also be provided to support the families and the local Traveller organisations in trying to stamp this out, while also engaging with schools to do it.