Level 1 Actions Part B: Level 3 Actions - Donegal County Council

Objective 5.4.2: To work in partnership with relevant statutory agencies and
Donegal Travellers Project to support Traveller children and
their families in achieving a good standard of literacy and
completing secondary level education.
Rationale: Primary School: Segregation of some Traveller children in
primary school e.g. physical distancing and providing different
activities. Traveller children feel bad in school and hide their
identity. Traveller culture not celebrated in schools and children
experience racism 5 . Traveller children do not have a good
standard of reading and writing.
Secondary School: Traveller children leaving school early
before Leaving Cert and Junior Cert. Low levels of literacy
among Traveller children at secondary school level. Initiatives
such as School Completion Programmes and Youth Reach
seen as positive.
Action
5.4.2. 1
Support the delivery of after school services for Traveller children at
primary and secondary level.
Role of Contributing Partners
Finance Lead Implement Integrate
into plans
FAS
DCC
HSE
DTP √
DSFA
VEC
Gardaí
CIB
IDP
DLDC √
DoE&Sc √
Comment
and
observe
Next Steps
1. DTP will deliver after school service to 40 Traveller children directly in the
Letterkenny area during 2009.
2. DTP staff with visiting teacher will support Traveller children to attend local
community based afterschools project where they are resident if appropriate.
3. Identify professional support for children that are appropriate for their development
in afterschools.
5 Not everyone in the CDB IAG agreed on this choice of wording but all recognised the negative
experiences of Traveller children in school.
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