Special educational arrangements for Travellers

Information

Traveller children have the same rights to education as settled children. They are also subject to the same rules on school attendance.

Traveller children may attend mainstream primary and second-level schools. If they do, the school receives extra payments in respect of them.

There are some special schools for Traveller children.

Certain support services are also available to Traveller children.

Visiting teacher service

Visiting teachers consult with Traveller families and advise and assist them in arranging school placements for their children. They also provide support at pre-school, primary, post-primary and third levels. The service is overseen by a National Education Officer for Travellers. It is intended that the Visiting Teachers Service for Travellers (VTST) will be integrated into a single School Support Programme under the National Educational Welfare Board. Work is under way on the integration project.

Additional teaching support at post-primary level

Additional teaching hours are allocated to schools on the basis of an additional .07 teacher per Traveller pupil enrolled. Schools must fill out a form (available from the Department of Education and Skills) to claim this allocation.

Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee on Traveller Education includes representatives of the Traveller community and the partners in education. It has published a Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy .

You can read the Guidelines on Traveller Education in Primary Schools (pdf) and the Guidelines on Traveller Education in Post-Primary Schools (pdf) on the website of the Department of Education and Skills.