10 jailed for not sending children to school

TEN people were jailed last year for failing to send their children to school, with the number of parents prosecuted hitting an all-time high.

Figures from the National Educational Welfare Board show 94 summonses were issued against parents last year. Some 52 prosecutions, some dating from the previous year, ended in convictions.

While the NEWB does not have a final tally as to the number of parents sent to prison, it is understood at least 10 were jailed — the highest sanction available to judges — for not ensuring children attended school.

A further 22 cases that made it to court last year were struck out, while 124 were marked as “ongoing”, meaning schools and educational welfare officers are monitoring the situation regarding school attendance.

The 52 convictions last year is up from the 40 convictions registered in 2009, the first year in which parents were committed to prison for failing to ensure children attended school.

That sanction is seen as a “last resort”, but the NEWB statistics show the number of School Attendance Notices (SANs — the first step in enforcing the law regarding school attendance) has also increased.

In 2005, some 36 SANs were issued regarding 26 children. By last year, the number of SANs issued had grown to 410 regarding 268 children. By the end of last year a total of 1,569 SANs had been issued in previous years to parents.

The number of cases carried over from previous years has also grown, although the NEWB stressed that this was not due to a lack of staff on the ground.

At present the NEWB has 101 staff operating across a number of positions, but under a new integration process other agencies, such as home school liaison staff, are working with schools and the NEWB to tackle the problem.

Figures have yet to be collated to show school attendance data for the past year, but it is understood the level of absenteeism has remained relatively static, with the number of school days missed broadly comparable to 2006 and 2007 figures.

While a prison committal is seen as the last resort for judges, more and more judges are using it.

Other penalties include fines, although the NEWB said the paying of fines is a matter for the courts and so was unsure if all fines had been paid.

NEWB regional manager Michael Doyle said work had begun on a new plan that would see different agencies such as home school liaison and school completion projects working together with schools to ensure better attendance rates.

The NEWB has experienced cutbacks in recent years but Mr Doyle denied that the increasing number of legal actions being carried over year-on-year was due to staff shortages.