Parents could be prosecuted over children's non-attendance at school

The parents of the majority of pupils in infant classes could finally become liable for prosecution over non-attendance if a Labour Party bill becomes law.

Since the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 took effect, the powers of the educational welfare service — now part of the child and family agency Tusla — only apply to children aged six to 16.

This means that educational welfare officers (EWOs) can not issue school attendance notices in cases where more than 20 days are missed in a school year, or take parents to court if truancy persists after initial interventions.