Boy, 13, ‘has learning skill of six-year-old due to neglect’

A 13-YEAR-OLD boy at the centre of a judge’s threat to jail his parents for Christmas has the learning capacity of a six-year-old due to missing four out of every five days in school, a court has heard.

A solicitor for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, said the case ‘is as bad as it gets in terms of the boy’s parents failing in their legal and moral obligation concerning the educational needs of their child’.

Kevin Sherry told Ennis District Court in Co. Clare that the Traveller boy ‘has the learning capacity of a six- to seven-year-old’, adding: ‘There is no defence here to the chronic educational neglect.’

Mr Sherry added that the teenager has an 82% absenteeism rate from Irish and UK schools since October of last year when the agency first brought the matter to court, while his 14-year-old sister has an absenteeism rate of 94% during the same period.

Judge Patrick Durcan asked solicitor for the two parents, John Casey: ‘Do they not realise the damage that they are doing to their children?’

In reply, Mr Casey said: ‘Neither parent has had much education and I have explained to them that there is absolutely no benefit to the kids and that it is all detrimental to them. The learning ability of the boy for someone his age is very poor.

‘It is the usual, “You can lead a horse to water, but can’t make him drink” and these people know now what to do.’

Judge Durcan had adjourned the prosecution by Tusla against the couple, who are members of the Travelling community, into yesterday’s court from earlier this month with the warning that they faced jail unless there was 100% school attendance for their two children from December 6.

Mr Sherry told the court yesterday that there has been 100% attendance for the two children since then and that it is the family’s intention to return to England in January.

He said the family has been going over and back between the two jurisdictions.

The parents initially faced proceedings from Tusla concerning the non attendance of their two teenage children from October last year. Judge Durcan yesterday accused them of ‘playing the system and playing every system under the sun – that is what we are dealing with here’.

Judge Durcan fined each parent €1,000 concerning the non-attendance at school of the two children.

Mr Casey said that the family returned early for Christmas in mid-November to be with the ill paternal grandfather of the children.

He said that the family came home too early for Christmas. Mr Sherry said that the two children were previously registered with a school in the UK and that there were attendance issues there.

He said: ‘There is also a school refusal by the defendants in relation to their children attending school in the UK. Documents have been furnished to me and none are confirming that the children are currently enrolled in any school in the UK.’

Judge Durcan replied: ‘That is my concern.’

‘Case is as bad as it gets’ ‘Playing the system’

THE parents of two Traveller children were fined €1,000 each yesterday at Ennis District Court for not ensuring their children attended school.

The family travel between Ireland and Britain and the boy had an absentee record of 82%, and the girl 94%. The effect has been catastrophic, as the 13-year-boy was found to have the educational attainment level of a six-year-old.

Truancy is a big problem in the Traveller community. One report found these children were 3.4 times more likely to play truant that those in the settled community.

Equally, only 9% of Traveller children complete their Leaving Certificate, compared with 86% of the broader community.

No group, no community, no religion should face exemption from the usual rules, and no culture can be offered as a justification for doing so.

It is right the parents were punished, as should all parents be if they neglect to facilitate the basic education of a child.