10% of primary pupils miss more than 20 school days each year

10% of primary pupils, and one in six secondary students, misses more than 20 school days each year

Rates of non-attendance at both primary and secondary school are getting worse, with an estimated average of 56,400 students missing out on school each day.

More than one in 10 children in primary school and more than one in six students in secondary school is missing more than 20 school days each year.

Based on population number, this represents approximately 60,000 primary students and 55,000 post-primary missing out on a month of school attendance each year.

An analysis by Tusla of school attendance data for the 2014/15 school year found that the absentee rate was 5.6% in primary schools and 7.7% at post-primary levels.

Both figures represent an increase of 0.2 percentage points in non-attendance rates over the previous school year.

“The increase in both primary and post-primary school non-attendance in 2014/15 goes against what seemed to have been a gradual downward trend over the previous four years,” said the report’s author, David Millar.

According to the study, 11.1% of pupils in primary school were absent for 20 days or more over the school year — up from 10.4% in 2013/14.

The level of 20-day absences among students at secondary level was 16.2% —up from 15.4% in the previous school year.

Non-attendance rates are also notably higher among students living in cities and towns than those in rural areas.

The analysis also showed that non-attendance rates are substantially higher in special schools, while they are also above average in mainstream schools with special classes.

They are also higher in schools designated as being in disadvantaged communities, otherwise known as DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools ) schools.

At secondary level, non-attendance is generally lower in secondary schools than in community/comprehensive schools and vocational schools.

On a more positive note, Mr Millar said expulsions from school were rare and declined further during 2014/15.

A total of 21 children were expelled from primary school — down two on the previous school year — with almost half of all cases involving students at special schools. At secondary level, 133 students were expelled —a reduction of 13 on 2013/14 figures.

Almost 1 in 25 second-level students were suspended — a total of 12,727 pupils, representing 3.8% of the post-primary school population. The suspension rate was 4.1% in 2013/14 and 4.5% in 2012/13.

Just 0.2% of primary pupils — 1,264 children — were suspended in 2014/15.

At primary level, the geographic area with the highest non-attendance rate — at 6.6% — was Dublin.

High rates were also recorded in Louth and Limerick.

Primary schools in the capital also had the highest expulsion and suspension rates. Schools in Monaghan had the lowest absentee rate at 4.3%.

At post-primary level, Wexford schools had the worst non-attendance rate at 10.4%, and schools in Louth and Meath the lowest at 6.7%.

Schools in Galway and Waterford had the highest rate of expulsion, while schools in Wexford and Dublin had the highest suspension rates.

Consistently low rates of suspension are found in schools in Donegal, Kerry, Galway, Mayo, Monaghan and Roscommon.

The study analysed attendance records provided by 3,254 primary schools covering more than 539,700 pupils and 695 post-primary schools with more than 334, 600 students.