Plan to crack down on classroom truants
The crackdown will involve more carrot than stick, however, as officials seek to encourage pupils back to their desks rather than punish parents for neglecting their children’s education.
The three-year plan will be unveiled today by the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) in what will be its first long-term strategy since it was set up 18 months ago.
“There is a need to let parents know what we do and how we can help them,” said the board’s chief executive, Eddie Ward.
“The disciplinary area deals with one end of the line. There is a much earlier stage where intervention can work very effectively in preventing a problem and we want to focus more on that.”
Absenteeism rates from the country’s schools were revealed to be worryingly high in the first ever national survey produced late last year.
The NEWB currently has 94 staff working in 24 centres around the country.
The board is also planning to set up supports for expelled pupils who can not find schools to take them in because of their poor record of behaviour.
Another area on which welfare officers are concentrating is children being educated at home. “The numbers coming on line are increasing and we will be looking at that.”
