‘It’s hard to get them going if they haven’t had a good sleep’

SEAN HOURIHANE sees the symptoms and effects of educational disadvantage every day.

As principal of St Aidan’s National School in Tallaght, he knows what it is like to have children coming into classes poorly clothed and fed. While most children at the school are doing well, up to one in 10 of the 300 pupils have difficulties of some kind.

“There would be around 5% to 10% who don’t have uniforms, a smaller number who come in hungry, and the same number again who are absent from school a lot for various reasons,” said Sean.