The Department of Education (DE) has urged Northern Ireland councillors to hold school principals to account over “rocketing” absenteeism of pupils.
The department’s recent statistics show 98K pupils are at “chronic or severe chronic” absentee levels with “serious attitudinal” change of post Covid parents to be challenged in the new school year.
DE policy official, Dougie Cusin made his plea during a presentation to Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) this week to those elected reps sitting on school boards of governors.
Mr Cusin said: “In a post pandemic world, whether it be primary or post primary school, attendance rates are dropping.
“We have been trying to turn the curve and make a change, because ultimately we need our pupils to be at school, as that is the best place for them to learn.
“In the last number of years, those pupils with 10% or more days off have rocketed. So we are looking at 18-19 days off a year. To us that is not acceptable.
“The new model we are using will provide guidance to allow principals to take action if pupils are falling into risk of high absenteeism. ”
The DE statistics shown in chambers revealed the Northern Ireland average primary pupil attendance is 93.3% and post-primary average is 90.3%.
Mr Cusin added: “We also suggest the board of governors should be taking a greater interest.
“We are very conscious that you as councillors will sit on one or many boards of governors and it is an important feature that pupil attendances should be discussed. And principals and schools should be held to account for their attendance levels.
“We are beginning to see green shoots and slight improvements, but it is not moving to the level we want it to.
“There are currently 98k children with chronic or severe chronic attendance category, so they are missing two to three days per month plus. So there is a significant cohort of children that we need to try and reach.
“The question is, if they are not at school, where are they?
“We know with the recent social unrest and we have heard in the media that young children were out causing anti-social behaviour.
“We would encourage principals, parents, carers, to understand and know where their children are.
“Another startling fact, the year that has just gone, 65 children didn’t attend school at all at 0% attendance.
“That gives us a worry for all sorts of reasons of child protection, safeguarding or just even from an educational point. We want children to learn and succeed and be happy.”
The DE rep highlighted the draw of “cheap holidays” causing parents to take their children out of school in June.
The department official further highlighted greater levels of absenteeism linked to schools providing free school meals in areas of deprivation.
Mr Cusin said: “Illness does cause a problem and we have seen a rise in emotional based school avoidance since the pandemic and we are taking measures to try to address that.
“Family holidays, particularly for primary schools, where cheap holidays are always available in June and people take their kids out of school for that cheap holiday.
“We can see from our statistics of free school meals and absence bands, which shows the greater need and deprivation at a school the higher the absence is there.
“There has been a serious attitudinal change since the pandemic. Many of us are working hybridly. So, there is an attitude that if parents don’t have to go to the office, then you don’t have to go to school.
“Many parents are allowing children to stay off for no real reason. So, there is an attitude that if the children learned at home during Covid, then they can do it again.
“We can’t deny that children are much more aware of their emotions and Covid has had an impact on that.
“The main areas of concern are no reasons provided for absence and family holidays and we can see the trend lines are increasing.
“We would encourage you (councillors) as a board of governor to hold your principal to account to ask them questions about attendance, to see what is being done in the school about it and how active and proactive they are.”
