More than one in five (22%) primary school pupils missed over 20 school days during the 2023/24 academic year, reports RTE.
According to a new report from Tusla, the child and family agency, primary school attendance has continued to improve for the second year in a row, but absence figures are still higher than those seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The annual data for 2023/2024 indicates a continued drop in both the total number of days missed and in the level of chronic absenteeism, reports RTE.
At primary level, pupils missed 8% of school days throughout the year.
That marks an improvement from 8.6% in 2022/2023 and a more significant decline from 11% in the previous year.
In DEIS primary schools, where students often face greater socio-economic challenges, 11% of days were missed. While this is still high, it represents a step forward compared to earlier years, reports RTE.
Chronic absenteeism — defined by Tusla as a child missing over 20 days in a school year — has also declined, though it is still above pre-pandemic figures.
In total, 22% of primary pupils were chronically absent during the 2023/24 school year.
Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee acknowledged the drop in overall days missed as a positive trend but said the levels of absenteeism remain unacceptably high, reports RTE.
She is expected to launch a new awareness campaign later today focused on encouraging regular school attendance and highlighting how crucial it is to children’s educational, emotional, and social wellbeing.
The campaign, which will run across multiple media platforms, will target parents, families, teachers, and local communities, encouraging them to prioritise consistent school attendance, reports RTE.
Minister McEntee said: “Childhood is a time of great opportunity. Every day in school is a building block for a child’s future. When students miss school, they miss out, not only on learning, but also on social development and valuable time with friends and teachers.
“Children and young people in communities across Ireland are missing a concerning number of school days each year. These days add up quickly, and as a result, there is a real risk that many students will not achieve their full potential from education, reports RTE.
“Regular school attendance is essential not just for academic achievement, but also for wellbeing, social development and long-term life outcomes,” Ms McEntee said.
A new school attendance initiative called Anseo will also begin its rollout soon, starting with 60 schools across the country, through a joint effort by the Department and Tusla’s Education and Support Service (TESS), reports RTE.
According to the Department, the programme is designed to help schools recognise absenteeism trends at student, classroom, and school-wide levels, allowing for better-targeted interventions.
When reporting absences to Tusla, schools log various reasons. The most recent data shows “illness” was the top cause of absences in primary schools, while over half of absences at post-primary level were listed as “unexplained”, reports RTE.
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