Research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) indicates that school absenteeism in Ireland remains a significant issue, with little sign of improvement since the pandemic. The study highlights a concerning rise in both the average number of days lost per student and the percentage of students classified as chronically absent.
The findings, released on October 16, 2023, reveal that schools in disadvantaged communities are particularly affected. The authors of the report noted that there is “no evidence that the passage of time since the pandemic” is likely to address these attendance challenges. While there has been a slight improvement in attendance at primary schools between the academic years 2022/23 and 2023/24, many schools are experiencing worsening trends, particularly at the post-primary level.
Disparities in School Attendance
The report indicates that a significant number of post-primary schools have seen their attendance rates decline. Although disadvantaged schools have improved in absolute terms, they remain at a relative disadvantage. This situation raises concerns that the inequalities in school attendance could widen further in the future.
Emer Smyth, a co-author of the report, emphasized that poverty often acts as a barrier to school engagement. “We need to be looking at measures to assist child poverty, to deal with mental health issues among children, but also among their parents and addiction issues,” Smyth stated to the Press Association.
The report also highlights that chronic absenteeism poses resource challenges for educational personnel. Another co-author, Anna Moya, pointed out that the higher rates of absenteeism among schools catering to socio-economically disadvantaged children could contribute to long-term inequalities. “It is particularly worrying that attendance in primary and post-primary DEIS schools is not recovering as well as non-DEIS schools in the post-Covid period,” Moya noted.
Interventions and Future Support
The ESRI’s findings align with other research suggesting that multi-tiered interventions, which involve multidisciplinary teams and promote engagement between parents, children, and schools, can enhance attendance rates. Creating a supportive and stimulating school environment is also crucial for easing student worries.
Data from the research indicates that primary schools within the DEIS programme had higher absenteeism rates, with 35% of students in Urban Band 1 schools missing 20 or more days during the 2023/24 school year. In contrast, only 17% of students in non-DEIS schools experienced similar absenteeism. The findings, produced in partnership with Tusla Education Support Service, also revealed that schools located in areas with high socioeconomic deprivation generally exhibit worse attendance rates.
Furthermore, special schools reported alarmingly high absence rates, while no significant differences were found between single-sex and coeducational primary schools. Interestingly, multi-denominational schools experienced more absences compared to Catholic or minority faith schools, while Irish-medium schools had lower absence levels than their English-medium counterparts.
The report underscores the broader trends in post-primary schools, where attendance rates continue to be lower in DEIS and disadvantaged areas. In the 2023/24 academic year, 28% of students in DEIS schools missed 20 or more days, compared to 19% in non-DEIS schools. In contrast, schools in more affluent areas reported absence levels as low as 15%, compared to 26% in disadvantaged areas.
Both primary and post-primary schools have seen a modest reduction in chronic absenteeism and the average number of days lost from 2022/23 to 2023/24. Despite this, the report identifies gaps in data collection, with approximately 25% of schools failing to submit absentee figures, citing administrative burdens and limitations in linking absences to the socioeconomic circumstances of individual students.
As Ireland continues to grapple with the implications of school absenteeism, experts stress the urgency of implementing large-scale interventions to support attendance, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
