Why do Irish Travellers not go to school?
Ava Arnold
Updated on January 17, 2026
In a recent report from the Traveller Movement, two-thirds of Irish Travellers said they been bullied by teachers, with one in five saying this made them leave school.
Why do Travellers not go to school?
Traditionally, traveller kids leave education after primary school in order to learn 'traditional skills' at home. For boys, this means trades such as bricklaying or tree-cutting, as well as learning to do odd jobs.Do Irish Travellers go to school?
Only 1% of Travellers aged 25-64 have a college degree compared with 30% for non-Travellers. Travellers are more likely to leave school early, with 28% of Travellers leaving before the age of 13, compared with 1% of non-Travellers (source ESRI A Social Portrait of Travellers in Ireland).Do Travellers children attend school?
The law recognises that Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families may have a valid reason to keep their children from school. This reason is where parent(s) are engaged in a trade or business that requires them to travel from place to place and therefore prevents their children from attending school.Why do Irish Travellers leave school early?
It was established that Traveller children are more likely to report being bullied at school and to leave school early specifically because of these negative experiences. “In 2011, when large scale budget cuts were made, Traveller-specific educational supports were struck, losing 87% of their funding.”Eight-Year-Old Margaret Is An Irish Traveller Who Wants to Leave School | This Morning
Are Irish Travellers inbred?
Irish Travellers are of Irish ancestral origin and have no particular genetic ties to European Roma groups, a DNA study has found. The research offers the first estimates of when the community split from the settled Irish population, giving a rare glimpse into their history and heritage.Where do Travellers go to the toilet?
Most Travellers, if not all, take the toilet out of their van, as they think it is unhygenic to have a toilet next to where they cook. Normally they tow portable toilets, with them.Why are Travellers above the law?
"Why is it that the traveller community somehow seem above the law? They get away with causing mayhem and disruption wherever they go and the law is such that it takes an eternity to get rid of them. “The current situation is untenable and costly and clearly a change in the law is needed.”How do Gypsies make money?
Most gypsies settle making money by looking for temporary jobs like gardeners, nail artists, and painters. There are also other ways for them to make money like, selling items that they buy in bulk, providing skills services, or even reading palms or tarot cards.What age do Gypsy girls leave school?
The parents of these kids take them out of school at the age of 11 to teach them " life skills " the girls look after the home and kids, the boys work. How do they get away with it? Most of these kids cant read or write but are perfectly capable of driving a car by the age of 12.Do Travellers go to university?
This is one of the many reasons why just 3-4% of pupils from Traveller, Gypsy or Roma (GRT) backgrounds attend university compared with 43% of their peers, according to Kings College London research.Do Travellers leave school early?
Home educationThe MPs' report said: "Some Gypsy and Traveller children are taken out of school as early as the end of primary school, some persistently do not attend and some never register at school at all.