Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the House on this vitally important Bill. At the heart of it is the underlying principle that we must strive for an education that enriches, values and nurtures every child and young person within it.

The Government will be supporting this Bill. I am acutely aware of the power of education and specifically the power that it has in not only shaping the lives of students, but in shaping the outlooks of future generations. We must always strive for a better education system, one which best meets the needs of all the students within it.

In recent decades, progress has been made in creating an education system that is more inclusive and supportive, including for Traveller children and young people. This being said, I recognise that much remains to be done and the sheer fact of this Bill being brought before the House today highlights this. As Deputies will undoubtedly be aware, this is borne out by some of the statistics surrounding Traveller children and young people in education. For example, just 13.3% of Traveller females were educated to upper secondary or above compared with 69.1% of the general population. Nearly six in ten Traveller men were educated to primary level at the highest. This is in sharp contrast to the general population, for which the comparable rate is just over one in ten. Clearly, we must do more to ensure that Traveller children and young people feel their experience and perspective is fully and equally valued by the education system so that this system provides opportunity for them to reach their fullest potential.

Since the Bill was first introduced in the Seanad, a considerable body of work has been progressed by the Department of Education in order to further this shared objective. One of the first undertakings was for the National Council on Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, the Government's advisory body on curriculum and assessment, to complete an audit of current curricular provision on Traveller culture and history in our education system. This audit was completed and subsequently published.

The audit identified a number of means through which students’ understanding of Traveller history and culture can be advanced through the present curriculum across primary and post-primary levels. For example, throughout primary school, subjects such as history offer an opportunity for students to learn more about the lives of men, women and children from different social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds through Ireland’s past. Through the social, personal and health education, SPHE, curriculum, students can be encouraged and supported in developing a greater understanding and appreciation of Ireland’s diverse communities. At post-primary level, there are also opportunities for students to develop a greater awareness of Traveller culture and education. For example, at junior cycle, schools have the autonomy to develop programmes of study that help students to develop a greater appreciation of how diverse values, beliefs and traditions have contributed to our communities and to understand how historic events have shaped contemporary society.

In considering the question of current provision, we must be careful to examine not only the curriculum as it exists on paper, but to look carefully at practices across our school system, as has been alluded to, and to examine not only whether these topics are being taught, but how they are being taught. While this work has admittedly and regrettably been slowed by the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has reduced the NCCA's ability to go into schools and learn from students and teachers, it remains ongoing. It has been further supported by the appointment of a full-time education officer in the NCCA in September 2020. This officer is leading on this work and engaging with education centres from preschool to post-primary.

A first draft of the NCCA’s research paper on Traveller history and culture should be ready to present to NCCA boards and council in the fourth quarter of this year. From September 2021, public health guidelines allowing, further work on gathering examples of practice from across early years, primary and post-primary settings will begin. I look forward to the receipt of this research paper and to considering the next steps which arise from it.

In this regard, it would be remiss of me to fail to acknowledge some of the very positive work which has taken place and continues to take place within the education system to promote and support Traveller culture and integration. Much of the NCCA’s work over the coming months will be in visiting schools and other education settings to learn more about work that is already happening to promote awareness and respect of Traveller culture and history and to identify best practice for future policy development.

The question of improving Traveller outcomes and experiences in education cannot be answered by curricular change alone, as has also been alluded to previously. This change must be bolstered by further positive actions to ensure that the Irish education system and broader society is a welcoming and supportive environment for Traveller children and young people. The national Traveller and Roma inclusion strategy, NTRIS, provides the framework and strategic direction for interventions across a range of Departments to support the additional needs of the Traveller and Roma communities in Ireland in practical and tangible ways. It contains 149 actions across ten distinctive themes. There are a number of very significant actions for the Department of Education in this strategy, including the development of education resources on Traveller and Roma culture and history for use in primary, post-primary and adult education settings; achieving improved access, participation and outcomes for Travellers and Roma in education to achieve outcomes that are equal to those of the majority population; and fostering a positive culture of respect and protection for the cultural identity of Travellers and Roma across the education system.

I am pleased to note that there are a number of areas under this strategy in which significant progress has already been made. For example, one of the commitments under this strategy was to address potential discrimination in education by reviewing policy on admissions to school and addressing issues including the publication of school enrolment policies, the ending of waiting lists, the introduction of annual enrolment structures and ensuring transparency and fairness in admissions for pupils and their parents. The Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 was passed by the Oireachtas on 4 July 2018. Further to the commencement of a number of sections of this Act, all schools have drafted new admissions policies, which seek to create a consistent and equitable approach to how school admissions are operated for primary and post-primary schools. I am pleased to note that the operation of these policies has now commenced and have governed the admissions of students to primary and post-primary school for September 2021 enrolment.

Another very significant body of work being undertaken by my Department is the NTRIS education pilot, which has been established to improve school participation for Traveller children and young people. This pilot project serves four areas across the country within Dublin, Galway, Wexford and Cork, supporting approximately 50 school communities. In each of these four pilot areas, additional staffing resources have been provided comprising an additional educational welfare officer and an additional home-school liaison co-ordinator, funded by the Department of Education, and two Traveller and Roma education workers, employed by local Traveller and Roma support groups through the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. These staff work together with schools and their staff, parents, students and Traveller and Roma communities to remove barriers which affect Travellers’ engagement with, and experience of, education. Among the work undertaken through this pilot is the development of positive relationships between schools and Traveller and Roma communities, supporting effective transitions for Traveller children and young people from preschool on to primary, post-primary, and further and higher education and exploring and developing new approaches and initiatives to support Traveller and Roma children in education.

The programme for Government contains a commitment to review the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 and to ensure that the successor strategy has a stronger outcomes-focused approach. I will be working with my colleague, the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, and with the Minister, Deputy Harris, in respect of education initiatives as part of the review and engagement with Traveller representatives will inform this work.

It is also worth noting some of the wider work which is under way within the Department to ensure that our schools are welcoming and positive spaces for the students and staff within them. I am thinking here of legislation such as the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill 2019, which sets out guidelines for a framework which schools must apply in their engagement with students and parents. The Bill seeks to support schools in proactively consulting with their school communities and creating a positive school culture. From my background in education, I know that many schools are already very advanced in this regard but it is my hope that this legislation will help to further guide and underpin this excellent work. This Bill was passed by the Seanad during its last term and I look forward to returning to the House shortly for Second Stage of the Bill.

At the core of any school community is the well-being of its students and staff. My Department seeks to promote the provision of a whole-school approach to supporting well-being. Such an approach has been found internationally to produce a wide range of educational and social benefits for children and young people, including increased inclusion, social cohesion and social capital and improvements to mental health.

The Department’s well-being policy, first published in 2018 and refreshed in 2019, is largely preventative in focus and seeks to reduce the risk factors and promote the protective factors for well-being in the school community. The provision of a positive school culture where children and young people experience a sense of safety, belonging and connectedness is a key protective factor, as is the opportunity to experience positive and respectful relationships across the school community.

Since the well-being policy was published, work has taken place to realise the vision set out therein. Following an action research project involving 30 schools, the professional development service for teachers is developing continuing professional development to support schools as they engage in a well-being promotion process. This national roll-out of continuing professional development is due to begin in autumn 2021, depending on public health advice, and will continue for three years. Supports will be offered on a face-to-face basis in the first term of the 2021-22 school year, if public health guidelines allow.

I reiterate my support for this Bill. As currently presented, this Bill provides an opportunity to recognise the unique position of Traveller culture and history within the overall Irish context. I am happy to support the Bill.

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