Survey results from 17 Deis schools in disadvantaged areas of Dublin, including west Tallaght, Ballymun and Darndale, revealed nearly 50% of primary school pupils have experienced serious personal trauma, and an estimated 54% require supplementary education. The study, conducted by the self-described Deis Cluster Advocacy Group in April, urged the need for multi-skilled teams—comprised of counsellors, psychologists, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists—to provide support in these schools.
It further indicated the importance of additional teaching staff and specially-dedicated classrooms, focused on implementing approaches and interventions addressing trauma-induced issues. A staggering 48% of roughly 3,500 students from the surveyed schools have encountered traumas varying from homelessness to the death of a loved one, or to having been the subject or observer of some form of abuse.
Over 400 are reportedly on a waiting list for Needs Assessments (AONs), with over 40% absent for more than 20 days each academic year. Principals noted high incidences of literacy and numeracy problems.
Conor McCarthy, Principal at Tallaght Community National School, claimed that these issues have been brought to the attention of the Department of Education but resolution has been postponed pending the release of an upcoming OECD report on the Deis school system. He suggested that about 100 Deis primary schools, predominantly in Dublin, have such a high percentage of students needing specialized supports that a new, more advanced classification than the current Band 1 is needed. He also asserted these schools should receive the necessary multidisciplinary teams and additional resources. He emphasized, “The Department of Education and the child poverty unit in the Department of the Taoiseach, whom we’ve also met and communicated our concerns to, are well-aware.”
Around 100 out of the 3,500 existing primary schools are situated in less prosperous areas such as west Tallaght, northern Dublin, northeastern inner city Dublin, along with certain districts in Limerick, Cork, Waterford. Although these do not constitute a significant number of schools, they experience extreme socioeconomic disadvantage—more so than most schools that are currently classified as Deis 1, perceived as the most deprived at present.
According to Mr. McCarthy, such schools present four times the quantity of youngsters requiring support education compared to non-Deis schools, and twice the support required compared to Deis Band 1 schools. This situation is further worsened by lengthy waiting lists present within the primary care systems in those areas, leading to a delay in the assessment and therapy in these children.
In addition to this, many children have faced genuine, severe trauma over their childhood, making it increasingly challenging for schools to bridge any kind of academic divide. This primarily is due to the fact that many additional needs need to be addressed before a child can position themselves to study in a classroom effectively.
Mr McCarthy mentioned that these disadvantaged schools are seeking assistance like those granted to an existing group of schools in northeastern inner city Dublin as part of a trial, which resulted in excellent outcomes. He added that meanwhile, the education minister and his department had focused on initiatives such as hot school meals and complimentary school books. While praiseworthy, Mr McCarthy pointed out that these represented large sums of money spent uniformly on each child rather than focusing targeted supports on the most vulnerable groups.