Cumulative disadvantage is defined as the means by which inequalities become worse over time through a series of additions, and influence the life of societies, cohorts and individuals. It is generally acknowledged that all individuals have a right to reach their potential, as we see from Article 29a of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1989). However, the formal educational system perpetuates inequality between groups (Bernstein, 1971; Bourdieu & Passeron, 1977). As a result of the Celtic Tiger economy experienced by Ireland in recent years, there has been a surge of inward migration, which has redefined Ireland’s population profile. According to the 2006 Census approximately 10% of its population was of migrant origin (Darmody, 2011). Cumulative disadvantage constitutes itself in a variety of ways in education, for example, socioeconomic status, language barriers, school segregation, and power dynamics.

Socioeconomic status is a major factor affecting children’s educational outcomes. Most immigrants leave their home countries in search of better economic prospects (Achiron, 2012), and once they arrive in the new country, they often settle in communities where there are other immigrants who share their culture. Their children attend school together, and these schools typically have a large share of immigrant students. Resulting from this, these schools usually tend to be more socioeconomically deprived than other schools (Achiron, 2012). This is something that the OECD warns people about, as they have learned that high concentrations of disadvantage in schools can have a strong influence on students’ outcomes in life. For example, it has been argued that these children are often guided toward less promising educational tracks because of their perceived deficiencies, particularly with regard to the proficiency in the language of