A landmark study released last week highlighted the inequality in children’s school lives and the impact social background has on their educational experience.
Carried out by the UCD School of Education, the Children’s School Lives (CSL) study involved almost 200 primary schools. Children, parents, and teachers spoke about their understanding of poverty and wealth, drawing on experiences within their families and local communities.
Unsurprisingly, the results found that children in the most marginalised communities experienced social stigma, urban degradation, and constraints on their movements.
However, a strong sense of attachment to the community and inter-generational family networks was also more evident in these children. This finding suggests that in disadvantaged areas, there is a communal ‘coming together’ or pride in a ‘collective identity’, often less evident in more affluent communities.
Teachers and principals in the most socially deprived schools referred to the impact of drug addiction, food poverty, and trauma in what they identified as ‘forgotten’ communities.
All interviewed for the study mentioned the critical role schools played in disadvantaged communities in safeguarding welfare during the covid-19 pandemic.
Across all the case study schools in disadvantaged areas, the increasing cost of living, combined with homelessness and housing insecurity, was noted by parents and educators alike as a challenge in supporting pupils’s learning.
No such issues emerged for children who came from more well-off homes. Their access to space (such as parks, sports grounds, etc) was notable, alongside “confident assertions” from their parents of what was needed “to support their learning”. Constraints on time in busy, bustling lives were identified as a more significant challenge among this group.
It came as no surprise to read that participation in extracurricular activities was influenced by financial status. Second class children from well-off families were significantly more likely to participate in extracurricular activities such as music, dance, art, swimming lessons, and team sports.
Teachers in the study commented on the benefits of children coming to school well-clothed, well-fed, and rested and participating in many extracurricular activities. However, they noted concerns about parents’ high expectations for their children’s performance.
This pressure to succeed is an issue I have raised consistently in recent years. Many parents view childhood as an apprenticeship for adulthood. The obsession with seeing everything our children do as an ‘investment’, which needs to pay long-term dividends, is deeply harmful because it erodes space for fun, creating instead performance-driven and, consequently, stressed children.
You don’t need to send your child to a Gaelscoil because you want them to get an H1 in Irish in their Leaving Cert. You don’t need to make your child play a musical instrument from age five because you feel it will help them get a higher Leaving Cert grade in music. We need to allow children to do things ‘for the craic’ where there is no pressure and just enjoyment.
The study found that children’s views on ‘feeling good about who you are’ were not significantly influenced by attending a DEIS [Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools] or non-DEIS school or levels of family affluence. This finding should be celebrated.
Anxiety levels (‘feeling worried about things’/’that something bad is going to happen’) reported by children from second to sixth class were not influenced by wealth. However, in the junior infants to first-class groups, there were significant differences identified in terms of levels of anxiety, with children in DEIS schools expressing higher anxiety than children in non-DEIS schools.
Children from poorer families in the younger group were also significantly more likely to ‘worry about what is going to happen’. Perhaps this indicates that as children get older, they form stronger links and associations with their communities through team sports or local clubs, helping to develop pride in who they are and where they are from, feeling part of something bigger, and less worried by potential adversity. We focus so much on removing adversity from children’s lives that perhaps we should focus instead on bolstering their resources and supports and creating a sense of community, purpose, and belonging instead of removing potential challenges.
The study also looked at children’s future aspirations and unsurprisingly found that those in well-off families in non-DEIS schools are more likely to plan to attend higher education than children in DEIS schools. The children in the non-DEIS schools highlighted how their aspirations were influenced by role models within their families and their knowledge and understanding of the steps to progress through the education system. Access to grinds and grind schools can offer those who can afford them with ways to perform better in state exams. This input can significantly advantage students, driving the ‘rich getting richer’ dynamic through educational access.
Wealth and poverty were the most significant influences on children’s academic aspirations. Children from well-off families reported a higher academic self-concept, with a persistently lower and decreasing academic self-concept among children from poorer families. Interestingly, being in a DEIS or non-DEIS school did not make a difference.
Researchers noted a significant association between children’s estimated level of affluence and their placement in ability groups within schools. Children from poorer families were most likely placed in the lowest ability groups for reading and mathematics.
No significant differences in levels of disengagement (being distracted or engaging in disruptive behaviour) were observed between children in DEIS and non-DEIS schools. However, teachers of the older groups in DEIS schools were significantly more likely to engage in disciplinary behaviour management (intervening if children are talking during lessons; limiting chatter) than teachers in non-DEIS schools. Rather than interpret this finding as suggesting that teachers in DEIS schools are tougher on older children, it is most likely an indication that children in DEIS schools find it harder to sit in silence as they get older than children in non-DEIS environments. No such differences were identified in the younger group.
The findings of this study confirm the disparity of opportunities for children regarding privilege and disadvantage — resources and affluence influence the progression path through the educational system. American education philosopher Alfie Kohn says if you want to know what variables are most important in determining educational outcomes, look at the size of the houses close to the school. Parents’ financial resources are a huge determinant of childhood education outcomes.
In a world where we are seeing an ever-increasing number of children experiencing mental health problems regardless of social status, the findings of the CSL study need to be used to better inform our approach to supporting these children.
I would like to see further investigations into the experience of children from well-off families who are overburdened by expectations and extracurricular activities. I would also like us to better understand the mental health benefits of tight communities where collective meaning and purpose can be created.
A deep sense of community can protect children from the trials and tribulations of life. Establishing tribes and a sense of collective identity in schools can help them develop strong values that will help them become more resilient in the face of life’s inevitable challenges.
- Dr Colman Noctor is a child psychotherapist
