Alarm at spike in 'chronic' school absences

Extra.ie​

20-05-2025

Education Minister Helen McEntee has been accused of 'repackaging' old policies, which were 'gutted' in the austerity era, as 'a new solution' to soaring school absenteeism.
The number of children 'chronically absent' from school – meaning they miss 20 or more days a year – has increased by 62,000 since the 2017/2018 academic year, to 175,000 in 2022/23.
It means that a shocking 24% of the total population at both primary and secondary levels have missed enough days to compel schools to report their absences to Tusla. Education Minister Helen McEntee. Pic: Stephen Collins /Collins Photos
Ms McEntee yesterday announced a suite of measures to tackle school absenteeism, which she described as 'hugely alarming'.
Among these was a commitment to provide continued investment in the School Completion Programme (SCP) and Educational Welfare Service, and the implementation of a framework to help schools 'analyse and respond to attendance data'.
However, funding for the SCP has been slashed since the economic crash in 2008, and is €7million below its level then. Jen Cummins, education spokeswoman for the Social Democrats. Pic: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
Jen Cummins, education spokeswoman for the Social Democrats, has voiced 'frustration' over the narrative around the measures, saying: 'We're being told this is a new initiative. It's not.'
Ms Cummins worked as a co-ordinator in the SCP for 18 years prior to entering politics. The programme targets students who are potentially at risk of early school leaving and tries to keep them in education or training initiatives.
A paper from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) found that the SCP 'helps make attending school a more positive experience for children and young people'. Pic: Getty Images
However, the paper notes widespread dissatisfaction among coordinators in terms of resources. Funding for the SCP fell from €32.9million in 2008 to €23.3million in 2019.
Extra money has been allocated to it since 2020, with its funding allocation reaching € 31.6 million in 2023, but the ESRI highlights that current funding lags behind pre-cash levels when inflation is factored in.
'The equivalent of 2008 funding levels would be €38.7million in 2023 prices, compared to actual levels of funding of €31.6million in 2023,' the researchers wrote. Jen Cummins, education spokeswoman for the Social Democrats. Pic: Alan Rowlette/© RollingNews.ie
While Covid was a significant driver of absenteeism, Ms Cummins said the 'erosion' of initiatives like the SCP has been 'deeply damaging', and has made it harder for schools to cope with absenteeism.
She told Extra.ie: 'We used to have attendance monitors who would work for three hours a day monitoring whole school attendance.
'They promoted positive attendance and punctuality… but during the austerity period the SCP moved under the remit of Tusla and funding was reduced. And it was just death by a thousand cuts, because we had to reduce and reduce and reduce the hours for attendance monitors. Pic: File
'Some staff moved on, some programmes couldn't afford to continue, and none of it was backed up by Tusla or the department. Now, the Department of Education is piloting a new attendance strategy that mirrors almost exactly what SCPs were doing a decade ago.
'We're being told this is a new initiative. It's not. It's the resurrection of a strategy that was working–until the State pulled the rug out from under it.'
Ms Cummins welcomed efforts to strengthen the role of educational welfare officers and the announcement of a national communications campaign to promote the importance of regular attendance.
She also praised plans to bring children under six within the scope of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 to ensure earlier intervention.
However, she questioned how the new framework, called Anseo, will work without extra resourcing.
She said: 'It is great they're going to focus on attendance, but they need someone dedicated in school to do that. Are you going to ask the school secretary, who's already doing a million things a day?'
She added: 'The reason attendance promoters worked so well is because there was a dedicated staff member.
'Attendance is not just a number – it's a lifeline. This Government is only waking up to that now, after stripping away the teams that were tackling the issue. It's not good enough.
'There must be immediate reinvestment in the SCP, with restored funding for attendance-specific roles across all Deis schools, and accountability for the policy decisions that created the crisis.' Pic: Getty Images
Data provided by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, shows 12.4 million days were lost across primary and secondary students for the 2022/2023 academic year due to absenteeism.
This was an increase on the 10.2million days lost in 2017/2018, when data was last available before the pandemic.
Over 175,000 students missed 20 or more days in 2022/2023, a rise of 62,000 on pre-pandemic levels to equate to one in every four school children (24%).
The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) said there is evidence that the pandemic led to increased absenteeism.
'A key concern for the ASTI is the lack of adequate supports within and outside schools to support them in putting strategies in place for students at risk,' the union said.
According to Tallaght Community National School principal Conor McCarthy, numerous factors, some of which are linked to Covid, are fuelling school absenteeism.
He cited a rise in the number of parents working from home, more families going on holiday at off-peak times and a growing number of migrant children facing difficulties attending school due to their accommodation.
'In general, parents are not making as much of an effort to send their children to school,' Mr McCarthy said.
The principal, who returned to the classroom last year due to a shortage of teachers, said chronic absenteeism means 'any issues a child may experience at school is compounded'.
He said missing stretches of the curriculum can have repercussions on a child's educational and social development.
'The less they are in the classroom, the harder they might find it to build relationships, which has a knock-on effect on their social wellbeing,' he said.
'If a student is coming back to school after missing a week, the class might have learned a new song or poem and that child feels on the outside because they can't join in.'
Ms McEntee said the issue 'warrants action'.
'This is why I am today announcing a comprehensive suite of measures to improve school attendance,' she said.
'Attendance is linked with attainment and with completing school. While there is excellent practice in schools to support children and young people to attend, we must listen to the data from Tusla and redouble our efforts.'
She added: 'These measures are rooted in evidence and collaboration and are designed to ensure every child is supported to attend, engage and succeed in school, to enhance their lifelong opportunities.'