“Care and compassion gets these students across the line”: the experience of school staff supporting second-level students from Direct Provision

Flavin, Maria; Buckley, Katie

“Care and compassion gets these students across the line”: the experience of school staff supporting second-level students from Direct Provision

Files

MariaFlavinandKatieBuckleyCARLreport2023.pdf(830.42 KB)

Date

2023

Authors

Flavin, Maria

Buckley, Katie

Publisher

Community-Academic Research Links, University College Cork

Abstract

As of June 2022, 2,800 children were living in Direct Provision in Ireland, in a system which subjects them to "institutionalized poverty." Education can be a key tool to help children transcend poverty, but students from Direct Provision often face educational disadvantages. This research was done as part of the Community-Academic Research Links (CARL) initiative (CARL) at University College Cork (UCC). Through this initiative, a second-level school identified the need for research to be carried out on the topic of the education of students from Direct Provision. This research examines how staff members in a DEIS secondary school support the retention, educational attainment, and further progression of these students. The study included two focus groups with seven school staff members. The staff identified significant barriers, such as accommodation, dispersal, deportation, language support, and resources, to the education of second-level Direct Provision students. Best practices were also identified, including individualised care, access to DEIS supports, and raising educational aspirations. Recommendations for addressing the gap in service provision for staff members included structural changes, such as implementing proposals within the White Paper on Ending Direct Provision, prioritizing structured EAL support, evaluating the possibility of greater in-house support in schools, and increasing flexibility in the education system. The study concludes that while schools play an essential role in supporting Direct Provision students' education, the government needs to make structural changes to ensure that Direct Provision children have the same educational opportunities as their peers.

Keywords

Direct Provision in Ireland , White Paper , Educational opportunities , DEIS secondary school

Citation

Flavin, M. and Buckley, K. (2023) “Care and compassion gets these students across the line”: the experience of school staff supporting second-level students from Direct Provision. Cork: Community-Academic Research Links, University College Cork.