In Ireland, across Europe and beyond, migration has emerged as a key issue of our time, posing challenges to societies and economic systems alike. Migration is likely to continue to be a phenomenon in the near future due to ever-increasing levels of global conflict and predicted climate change. Societal responses to migration and the needs of migrant students are an issue of education equity. Migrant students have particular educational and wellbeing needs that should be met in order to ensure equity of access to education.
In light of this increased movement of people from one country to another, this paper seeks to understand more fully the phenomenon within an Irish educational context. Firstly, it describes the changing population of Ireland’s migrant students in the period 2016-2022 using demographic data gleaned from the Irish census in 2016 and 2022, as well as data from international large-scale assessments PIRLS, TIMSS and PISA. The paper then goes on to consider how migrant students’ experiences of attending school in Ireland may differ from those of Irish-born students, using data from international large-scale assessments. It examines key indicators such as achievement, sense of belonging, safety in school, and wellbeing. Finally, the paper examines the landscape in relation to policy, status, and resources made available at national level that have been developed and implemented in relation to migrant students generally, and in particular, EAL students.
The pattern of migration into Ireland is somewhat unique, made up of people from many different countries of origin, speaking many languages. The 2016 census found that people from over 180 countries were living in Ireland at the time. This plurality is reflected in the linguistic profile of migrants, with the number of respondents speaking a language other than English or Irish at home increasing by 21,341 between the census in 2016 and 2022 and the number of different languages spoken in excess of 66 languages in 2022. The socioeconomic background of migrants in the Republic of Ireland is also quite mixed in profile. This paper seeks to accurately describe the homogeneous migrant population of students in Ireland at primary and post-primary level so their needs can be better addressed.
The experiences of migrant students differ in important ways from those of Irish-heritage students. Data from international large-scale assessments carried out in Ireland in the selected period, PIRLS, TIMSS, and PISA is used to examine some key indicators of educational outcomes for migrants such as achievement in varying domains such as English reading, mathematics and science. Further, key background data is used to explore differing experiences of school through sense of belonging, safety in school, and wellbeing.
Finally, the policy landscape of provision for migrant students in Ireland is examined. Policy documents, the status of migrant students and EAL students are investigated. The provision of resources for migrant students is examined, and the quality of those resources is interrogated.

This study has three primary objectives: 1. Understand and describe the profile of the migrant and EAL population of students in Irish schools 2. Investigate the differences affecting migrant and EAL students in Irish schools using key measures 3. Analyse the policies and resources available for migrant students in the Irish context, and consider how they meet the diverse needs of migrant and EAL students The project primarily takes a quantitative approach, using quantitative analysis of international large-scale data (along with other secondary data sources) to derive comparative, generalisable findings about migrants’ situation in Irish schools. This is supplemented with a qualitative review of policy and resourcing to offer detailed insights into the rapidly evolving issue of migrant students in Ireland. The quantitative element deals primarily with statistical analysis of data from large-scale assessments implemented in Ireland from selected cycles of PIRLS, TIMSS and PISA. Quantitative analysis was carried out using IDB Analyzer and SPSS software. Both programmes were used for descriptive and inferential statistical analysis to compare migrant and EAL students’ achievement to that of the general population, and to explore migrant experiences of Irish schools through key indicators. The study has limitations, including the relatively small numbers of students who are identified as either migrant or EAL students within the larger sample of students participating in the international large-scale assessments named above. This results in a larger margin of error around the estimates calculated for these groups. The quantitative approach offers objectivity and reliability, ensuring accurate measurement of the key indicators. The quantitative analysis examines the policy and resourcing landscape to add depth to the statistical findings, combining robust data analysis and valuable practical insights to provide a rounded picture of the situation regarding migrant students in Ireland in the selected period.

The demographic statistics show that the nature of migration to Ireland is ever-changing, with global factors such as international conflicts and economic development as the driving force behind relatively large numbers of migrants from specific countries immigrating to Ireland. These factors wax and wane, leading to an ever-changing migrant student body. The migrant student population in Irish schools at both primary and post-primary level is decidedly heterogenous in its composition. Migrant students in Ireland speak a wide variety of home languages, and come from many different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. This diversity provides an interesting and stimulating reality within schools, but can prove somewhat of a challenge to policy-makers striving to find effective and efficient ways to address the needs of such diverse groups in a timely manner. From the analysis of data from large-scale international studies, it is observed that migrant students in Ireland tend to have lower mean achievement in most domains (reading, mathematics and science) across cycles, though most of that difference is accounted for by EAL students. In some domains, the difference in achievement between migrant, EAL and other students is more pronounced in the Irish context. Migrant students report a lower sense of belonging than their counterparts in the general population, lower levels of wellbeing and they feel less safe at school. These experiences highlight possibly fruitful areas for policy intervention in the future. Finally, a review of the policies and resource landscape in relation to migrant and EAL students in Ireland found many of them were developed decades ago and are in need of updating. In particular, the assessment materials used for EAL students are in need of significant redevelopment. The status of EAL students as part of the wider SEN cohort in schools has not served to foreground their needs.

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