October 2004
First Data on School Attendance Shows Need for More Staff for Areas like Tallaght

Tallaght Manager of National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) asks parents not to agree to days off school unless it is absolutely necessary.

The average post primary school student misses 15 days out of a school year of 167 days and the average primary school pupil misses 11 days out of 183, according to the first national report of non-attendance, which was compiled by the National Educational Welfare Board, the new agency for school attendance and the educational welfare of young people.

However, the report also shows that schools with students from disadvantaged backgrounds have lower average levels of attendance. The average post primary student in RAPID city areas, including Tallaght, misses 22 days, or just over one month of school days. The data also shows that 26% of students in disadvantaged areas miss over 20 days of school compared to 18.6% in other areas. All students who miss over 20 days of school now have to be reported to the NEWB under law.

The NEWB launched its new service in Tallaght today, one of 12 towns and six cities where the NEWB now provides an intensive service. The NEWB’s Tallaght team, front-lined by three Educational Welfare Officers (EWOs), provides a service to nearly 40 schools in the area. Previously, Tallaght did not have a dedicated school attendance service.

“The findings in our first attendance report support the targeting policy followed by the NEWB in appointing educational welfare officers to the areas of greatest disadvantage such as Tallaght,” outlined Eddie Ward, CEO of the Board. “However, it also underlines the need for additional resources to improve attendance levels in disadvantaged areas further. In developing our service, we will continue to look for additional staff and resources for areas like Tallaght in particular.”

Jean Rafter, Regional Manager for the Tallaght area, asked parents not to agree to days off school for their children unless it was absolutely necessary. She said that parents were often surprised at first when they are told that their children have missed over 20 days of school.

“Parents are often surprised if they are told their children have missed too much school,” she said. “However, when they go back over those absent days they realise that they have given permission for many of the days off for things like family visits, holidays or shopping days. One school in the area has even spoken about a ‘culture of permitted absences’. Unchecked, however, these permitted days off can mount up and can have a detrimental effect on the child’s education.”

“If a child misses too many days he or she may fall behind with schoolwork and may start to dislike school,” Jean continued. “Employers want people who are reliable. Children who think it is ok to miss out on school may also think it is ok to skip off work. Finally, young people who miss school for no good reason are at risk of being drawn into anti-social or criminal behaviour. By missing out on school, a child is actually missing out on life chances.”

The Tallaght service was launched by actor and artist Stuart Dunne, who played ‘Billy Meehan’ – the villain we all loved to hate – in Fair City. Stuart, who is dyslexic, spoke about the obstacles he had to overcome in order to stick with school and to pursue his acting career.

For further information, please contact: Edel Hackett (0872935207)