‘Hugely alarming' levels of school absences prompts Minister Helen McEntee to announce measures to tackle problem
It comes as data showed that in the 2022/2023 school year, more than 110,000 primary and 65,000 post-primary pupils missed 20 or more days of school.
Ms McEntee described this as a 'hugely alarming' statistic from Tusla's Annual Attendance Report (AAR), adding that it 'warrants action'.
'Unfortunately, the stark reality is that in recent years we have seen a decline in regular attendance, and a rise in the number of children and young people missing a very concerning number of school days,' she said.
'This is why I am today announcing a comprehensive suite of measures to improve school attendance.'
Among the key initiatives being introduced is Anseo – a new framework to help schools analyse and respond to attendance data, which will be rolled out in 60 schools following a successful pilot.
A national multimedia campaign, launching in September, will promote the importance of regular school attendance to students, parents and guardians.
The measures also include continued investment in the educational welfare service, including the expansion of educational welfare officer (EWO) capacity.
There will also be a promotion of the benefits for children and young people of being present in school on each school day, with a national attendance conference early next year to be held to share best practices on ensuring school attendance and to promote whole-system engagement.
The department will also launch a scoping project to deliver real-time attendance data for better decision-making and intervention. The department says there will be a continued investment in the school completion programme and better planning between it and the range of supports available through the non-formal education sector in youth.
Work will also take place across government to embed attendance as a priority from early childhood onwards.
Ms McEntee also said she plans to revise the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, in order to strengthen statutory supports for young children.
This includes bringing children under six attending primary school within its scope to ensure earlier intervention. A new national plan on educational disadvantage is due to be published shortly, the department said.
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