One in seven children miss school for more than 20 days

One in seven children miss school for more than 20 days a year, it has emerged.

Schools must notify the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) when a pupil is absent for more than 20 days.

According to the NEWB, more than 111,000 of the country’s 800,000-plus primary and post-primary pupils are absent from school for more than 20 days every year.