School Attendance

Regular school attendance is important to provide our children and young people with a solid foundation for life. When our children miss school, they miss out – on learning, social development and valuable time with their friends and teachers.

Children and young people in communities across Ireland are missing a concerning number of school days each year due to casual non-attendance – a day (or two, or three) missed here and there. These days add up quickly. As a result of casual non-attendance there is a real risk that many of our children and young people will not achieve their full potential from education.

In fact, 1 in 5 students in primary and post-primary schools are missing a month or more of their school year.

Encouraging school attendance is within the power of everyone in a student’s life. 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.