Children in county missing concerning number of school days
A multimedia campaign aimed at promoting regular school attendance has been launched.
Children and young people across County Roscommon are missing a concerning number of school days each year, according to new data.
A total of 21.2% of students in primary schools across the county missed 20 days or more in the 2023/24 school year while in secondary schools the figure rose to 25.3%.
According to the figures the number of days lost by students at primary level in the county represents 8% of the total school days in the 2023/24 school year while at post-primary level the numbers of days lost represents 11.3%.
Now a new campaign by Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) in partnership with Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee, has been launched to promote regular school attendance.
The campaign comes following the data from TESS, which shows that nationally more than one in five children and young people at primary and post-primary level miss more than 20 days of their school year.
Áine O’Keeffe, Director of TESS, said: “Increasing school attendance is the key function of TESS. The campaign aims to raise awareness about how many school days are being missed, and how those missed days can add up quickly over time. Importantly, it also shows parents, guardians, and schools where they can find more information and support to help improve and promote school attendance.”
The latest TESS Annual Attendance Report and Student Absence Report for the 2023/2024 school year, published on the Tusla website, also shows that while absenteeism remains high, total days lost and chronic absenteeism have both fallen for the second consecutive year.
Minister McEntee said that while the reduction in the total number of days lost was positive, the level of absenteeism in schools remained far too high.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of consistent school attendance and encourage positive behaviour change. TESS says that regular school attendance is essential not just for academic achievement, but also for wellbeing, social development and long-term life outcomes. The message from the campaign is that when a child or young person can go to school, they should go to school. Every school day is a new day and a new opportunity for everyone to actively encourage school attendance
