8.6% of school days lost to pupil absences in 2022/23

8.6% of school days lost to pupil absences in 2022/23

Data from the child and family agency Tusla has shown a dramatic increase in primary pupil absenteeism in recent years with the latest figures showing that 8.6% of school days at primary level were lost to pupil absences in the 2022/23 school year.

‘Hugely alarming’ levels of school absences prompts Minister Helen McEntee to announce measures to tackle problem

Education Minister Helen McEntee has announced a range of new measures to tackle the “hugely alarming” rate of absenteeism in schools.

McEntee details measures to tackle 'hugely alarming' school absenteeism

Over 110,000 primary and 65,000 secondary students missed 20 or more days of school in the 2022/2023 school year

Alarm at spike in 'chronic' school absences

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 ha…

Government’s recycled response to school attendance crisis doomed to fail

The government’s reaction to the school attendance crisis is déjà vu disguised as innovation, according to Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins. Deputy Cummins, who’s the party’s education spokesperson, said: “Let’s be clear: this crisis didn’t come out of nowhere – for years, the School Completion Programme ran effective, community-based attendance monitoring and promotion in DEIS schools. “These were proven supports that worked across whole-school …