The Impact of Social Background on Children's School Lives - Advice for Policy Makers
Posted 18 March, 2025
A policy brief looking at the impact of social background on children’s experiences of primary school has just been published on PublicPolicy.ie by the UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy.
This policy brief draws clear recommendations for policy makers upon the findings from the (opens in a new window)Report 8a of the (opens in a new window)Children’s School Lives longitudinal study about the impact of social background on children’s school lives, a corresponding policy brief has been published (opens in a new window)here.
The study, commissioned by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, is led by Professor Dympna Devine, Associate Professor Seaneen Sloan, and Assistant Professors Gabriela Martinez Sainz and Olga Ioannidou. It draws on six years of data-collection with almost 4,000 children from about 200 primary schools across Ireland.
Findings from this report raise questions for policymakers over the realisation of the educational rights of children from poorer families within the primary school system. It highlights that further attention is needed on how to engage children with complex social needs in the classroom and to ensure that teachers and principals, as well as their parents, are fully supported in doing so. Recommendations also emphasise the need to focus on the impact of wider social and economic policies on children’s everyday lives and how these shape their ability to engage with and benefit from the primary school system.
Key findings of the report include:
- One quarter of children in CSL primary schools are poor. Many of these are in non-DEIS schools.
- Children’s parallel childhoods of wealth and poverty influences their aspirations, their learning, their self-esteem, and their wellbeing.
- Primary schools play a key role in supporting both the welfare and wellbeing of children from poor families.
- High levels of engagement and focused learning are evident in both DEIS and non-DEIS schools.
- The academic self-concept of children from poor families declines as they progress through primary school.
- Children from poor families are most likely to be placed in lower ability groups.
- Poverty impacts the worry and anxiety levels of younger children.
- By 5th and 6th class, challenges arise in engaging children with complex social needs over the long term.
Policy makers are encouraged to review the full report [link: (opens in a new window)http://cslstudy.ie/downloads/