Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2026
613. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department's assessment of the increase in school reluctance since the Covid-19 pandemic; the measures contained in the Tusla five-year plan for school attendance that specifically target emotionally based school avoidance; and when an updated national guidance document for schools and parents on this issue will be published. [39749/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraTusla Education Support Service (TESS) is under the remit of my department since 1 January 2021 and operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. TESS has three strands: the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS) and the two school support services the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL) and the School Completion Programme (SCP). The three TESS strands work together collaboratively with schools, parents and guardians and other relevant services to achieve the best educational outcomes for children and young people.
Parents have a legal duty to ensure that their child, who is attending a recognised school, is at school on every day that the school is open, unless there is a genuine reason for him or her not to attend.
Over 224 million students worldwide were impacted by school closures during Covid-19 (UNESCO, 2022). Rates of absenteeism remain high in primary and post-primary schools in Ireland compared to pre-pandemic levels. Attendance data from the 2023/24 school year shows some correction post pandemic and is available at www.tusla.ie/uploads/content/Analysis_of_School_Attendance_Data_2023-24.pdf
TESS has developed a five-year plan for school attendance (2023-2028). The plan is targeted and collaborative and will focus on policy, practice, implementation of the Multi-Dimensional Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MD-MTSS), known as Anseo, and the expansion of TESS services to schools and families, employing innovative ways to meet the needs of vulnerable learners. The plan is structured on five distinct themes of work where actions are outlined to improve attendance. Further information is available at www.tusla.ie/uploads/content/TESS_5_Year_Plan_for_School_Attendance_2023-2028.pdf
Each school is required to have a set of attendance practices and strategies that promote good attendance among all students. As part of the five-year plan, TESS has published a series of attendance webinars to support schools. The seven webinars in the series are available for schools to view at www.tusla.ie/tess/national-school-attendance-campaign/
TESS has delivered a national multi-media school attendance campaign, promoting the importance of regular school attendance for all students. Consultation with key stakeholders took place to build the key campaign messages. The multimedia campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of school attendance with parents and caregivers, to communicate the benefits of daily attendance at school and to signpost supports where families are experiencing school attendance problems.
My department, in collaboration with TESS, the National Parents Council and the HSE, has created a dedicated website landing page [www.gov.ie/schoolattendance] to direct the public to the available supports and advice.
TESS teams are working collaboratively with schools and communities to provide interventions, including the implementation of Anseo, which provides schools with tools to effectively plan to improve school attendance. The implementation of Anseo is intended to create practices, structures, and tools that will assist schools in improving attendance outcomes and to develop and strengthen responses for young people experiencing school avoidance behaviours. The model was successfully piloted in four schools before being rolled out to 60 additional schools from the start of the current school year. It will be extended to additional schools in 2026.
