Traveller education needs highlighted

CHILDREN from the Traveller community are up to five times more likely to have special educational needs than other pupils, research on education for the minority group has found.

The finding is one of many which highlight the need to improve services for Traveller education, in a report by the Department of Education inspectorate.

It examined the provision of education for Travellers in 30 primary and six second level schools, and found that more than 20% of children were assessed as having special educational needs.