Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Kelleher and I know her heart is really in addressing this difficulty. I thank the Senator for raising the issue. It is really important. I am answering the question on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy McHugh, who could not be here this morning. I will make certain that I talk to the Minister in person and raise the figures Senator Kelleher has put out today.

The position of the Department of Education and Skills on the use of reduced timetables is that each child has a right to education to enable him or her to live a full life as a child and to realise his or her potential as a unique individual. All pupils who are enrolled in a school should attend school for the full day unless exempted from doing so for exceptional circumstances, such as medical reasons. Reduced timetables - I am saying this strongly - should not be used as a behavioural management technique or as a de factosuspension or expulsion, nor does any provision exist for the use of reduced timetables for particular pupils or groups of pupils.

Where schools apply a shorter school day for a child, such arrangements should only be put in place in exceptional circumstances, as Senator Kelleher noted earlier, to assist a pupil to return to a school. This might arise where a pupil has been experiencing an absence due to a medical or behaviour-related condition. Any such arrangement should be a transitional arrangement designed to assist the reintegration of a pupil to a school environment. In making any such arrangements, school authorities should be mindful of the best interests of the child and of the right of the child to a full day in school. Schools should seek the advice of the National Educational Psychological Service which provides training and guidance to schools around the management of behaviours that challenge, before implementing such arrangements.

The Department of Education and Skills is engaged with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Tusla educational welfare service on the matter of reduced timetables with a view to examining options that can be taken to address the issues raised.

In addition, I wish to emphasise to the Senator that the Department of Education and Skills, through a whole-of-Government approach, is committed to implementing initiatives to improve Traveller retention, participation and achievement in the education system. I heard the figures supplied by Senator Kelleher on higher education. As the Senator is aware, the Higher Education Authority published a report today. I will take on board exactly what she has said. I am committed to access in our higher education institutions. In particular I was struck by the figure cited by Senator Kelleher of 0.5% of Travellers attending HEA institutions. I will come back to the Senator on that point.

The Government approach is reflected in a number of key policies and initiatives, including the national Traveller and Roma inclusion strategy launched by the Department of Justice and Equality in June 2017. To try to address the gaps in education participation, retention and achievement for Traveller and Roma pupils, the Department of Education and Skills, along with Tusla and the Department of Justice and Equality, has been engaging with Traveller representative groups to pilot a cross-departmental initiative for a two-year period. This pilot will inform the development of a sustainable programme to address the gap in educational outcomes for children and young people from the Traveller and Roma communities.

In addition, the delivering equality of opportunity in education plan for 2017 has specific actions relating to promoting improvements in school attendance and completion to improve educational outcomes and overall life chances for all pupils, including Traveller and Roma children and young people. I assure the Senator of the commitment to ensuring that Traveller pupils are given every opportunity to participate fully in education. I will bring this up with the ministerial management board in the Department of Education and Skills as well.