Ms Mary Cregg:

I thank the Chair and the committee for the invitation to attend to discuss the topic of school completion rates, the educational attainment of Travellers, especially when compared with those of members of the settled population, and related matters. My name is Mary Cregg and I am principal officer with responsibility for social inclusion in the Department of Education. My colleague, Brendan Doody, is assistant chief inspector in the Department.

The Department recognises that while improvements in Traveller educational outcomes have taken place in recent years, educational attainment among Travellers continues to lag significantly behind that of the general population in Ireland.

Analysis of retention data in the Department shows that close to 90% of Travellers progress to third year of post-primary schools. There has been an increase in retention to junior certificate, with 68% to 70% of those entering school in 2014 or 2015 completing junior certificate in 2017 and 2018, compared with 65% for those entering in 2010 and completing junior certificate in 2013.

The percentage completing leaving certificate remains low at 22%. It is known that a significant number of Travellers avail of options to continue education in Youthreach centres or avail of further education routes.

It is important that examples of good practice and innovation in schools, and in ancillary support services, are harnessed to improve the educational experience of Traveller pupils. The committee has asked for information on the pilot projects that have been put in place as one of the actions under the national Traveller and Roma inclusion strategy. An update has been supplied in the Department's submission.

The pilot projects are only one of a number of developments that are aimed at supporting educational outcomes. A key objective of Traveller education policy in recent years has been the phasing out of segregated Traveller provision. Funding for segregated Traveller provision has been incorporated into overall school and other funding streams in order to provide supports for Traveller pupils in mainstream schools.

Budget 2022 has allocated the largest ever increase in funding for the DEIS programme to tackle educational disadvantage. The budget provided an additional €18 million in 2022 and €32 million in 2023, which will enable an expansion in 2022 of the programme to further schools. Not all Travellers attend DEIS schools and additional supports are available in all schools to support students with additional needs. These include special education teachers, special needs assistants and supports provided by the National Educational Psychological Service.

A Covid learning and support scheme, CLASS, has been put in place to help schools mitigate the adverse impacts of Covid-19 on student learning loss and well-being arising from the periods of school closures in 2020 and 2021. Provision is being made for up to €52 million in extra teaching hours for schools.

Under the 2022 dormant accounts action plan, funding of €500,000 has been allocated to the Department of Education to oversee projects that tackle educational disadvantage for Travellers and Roma. The Department supports inclusive education for all and actions that will ensure that the school setting is a more welcoming environment for all our students, including Travellers. All schools are required to engage in a self-evaluation process. School self-evaluation involves reflective inquiry leading to action planning for improvement that is informed by evidence gathered within each school's unique context. The process enables schools to use this evidence to identify meaningful and specific targets and actions for improvement that focus on teaching and learning practices. It enables them to create and implement improvement plans, measure their progress and identify their achievements.

By reflecting on what teachers teach and how they teach it, and on what pupils learn and how they learn, school management and teachers become aware that certain aspects of the education they provide are effective, and that improvement is needed in others. For example, in situations where attendance rates are problematic, schools have been advised to consider the extent to which current teaching approaches support good attendance. A similar approach has been advised where retention rates are lower than national averages. In addition, in DEIS schools this may also involve working towards ensuring improved partnerships with external agencies such as the school completion programme.

The Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice promotes the provision of a whole-school approach to supporting well-being. It is an approach that has been found internationally to produce a wide range of educational and social benefits for individual children, and young people, including increased inclusion, greater social cohesion, increased social capital and improvements to mental health.  Work is under way by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, arising from an audit of the curriculum in respect of Traveller culture and history. This is being done with a view to developing opportunities for teaching about Traveller history and culture, and developing resources for use in schools. The NCCA is also due to commence work in 2022 on a review of the intercultural guidelines for schools. This will further facilitate schools to create an inclusive environment, including for Travellers.

While progress is being made, we still have work to do to as Traveller students continue to experience disadvantage in the area of education.  My colleague and I are very happy to take questions from members.