Schools ‘must play bigger role in tackling hunger and inadequate sleep’

Issues such as tackling inadequate sleep and hunger need to play a bigger role in how Irish schools combat disadvantage, according to the author of a European Commission report.

Paul Downes, director of the Educational Disadvantage Centre at Dublin City University (DCU), has also called for teams to provide community-based services in and around schools tailored to young people and their parents.

He is author of a commission report proposing a multidisciplinary focus on health and welfare as one of the approaches to widening educational inclusivity.