Colin Murphy: How schools and the state fail Traveller children

Educational outcomes were improving for Traveller children until the crash. Then the supports were dropped

Traveller children need to be helped by schools Pic: iStock

A week ago, 12-year-old Traveller Paddy Flynn was the only child in his class to be refused a place in the local secondary school. RTÉ got the story, and suddenly there was room for Paddy in St John’s De La Salle, Ballyfermot, after all.

Problem solved? No. Paddy’s case was just a symptom; the problem runs much deeper.

Just over one in ten Traveller children complete secondary education. Less than half continue past ...