School attendance among pupils has dropped significantly since the pandemic as large numbers of children miss classes for extended periods.
Just more than 25 per cent of all primary school pupils and 20 per cent of all second-level students missed 20 or more school days in the 2022/2023 school year.
This is up significantly from 11 per cent for primary school pupils prior to the pandemic and 14.5 per cent for students at second level in 2018/2019.
There is even greater concern over the high levels of extended absences in areas with the highest levels of social disadvantage.
Some 42 per cent of primary school pupils and 30 per cent of post-primary students in schools in these areas missed 20 school days or more.
The data, contained in the Department of Education’s Inspectorate report for 2021-2023, notes school attendance internationally has been significantly and negatively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In the UK, researchers have argued that the pandemic has altered the social contract between schools and society fundamentally, and that one of the most notable casualties of this has been regular school attendance,” the report notes. “These concerns are reflected in Ireland in the most recent data provided by Tusla’s Education Support Service.”
The report notes that the Irish education system has been proactive in addressing the issue and has conducted campaigns aimed at boosting school attendance among at-risk groups of pupils.
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These include promoting a “learning friendly” environment and offering rewards such as prizes for children for attendance. Inspectors, however, said some younger people reported the limited value of these incentives.
“It is not yet apparent that strategies to promote attendance, particularly in schools where the attendance of children and young people is a cause for concern, place sufficient emphasis on the critical link between high-quality, responsive, teaching and consistently good school attendance,” the report notes.
The report also found scope for improvement across a significant proportion of schools in how students are assessed, as well as the need to boost inclusion of students with additional needs.
Overall, the department’s chief inspector, Yvonne Keating, said their inspections showed there were significant strengths across the Irish education system.
