Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
It is widely recognised that school systems play a vital role in promoting integration, inclusion and learner well-being, while respecting diverse backgrounds. As Irish primary schools become increasingly diverse, it is essential to foreground the voices and lived experiences of multilingual children, who remain underrepresented in Irish educational research. This study aligns with Ireland's obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, particularly Article 12, which upholds children's right to express views on matters affecting them. It also supports national policy initiatives such as the National Strategy on Children and Young People's Participation in Decision-Making and the Migrant Integration Strategy, both of which emphasise participatory, inclusive approaches in education. Adopting a qualitative, child-centred design, fifteen semi-structured walking interviews were conducted with multilingual children. Data was analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis, generating three overarching themes: Place, People, and Participation. These themes captured how physical, social and relational factors intersect to shape belonging, empathy and resilience. Supportive relationships with teachers and peers ‘activated’ school spaces as sites of emotional safety and inclusion, while engagement in curricular and extracurricular activities fostered agency, confidence and identity integration. Identified barriers included language difficulties, peer conflict and accessibility. An intersectional analysis revealed how language, migration history and ability influenced children's participation and well-being. Grounded in Lundy's model of children's participation, which emphasises voice, space, audience and informed by Maslow's hierachy of needs, the findings position children's voices as both a pedagogical necessity and a rights-based imperative for fostering equitable and inclusive school communities.
Grainne et al. (Tue,) studied this question.