Thousands leave school early each year

A study of school dropouts has found that 9,000 young people leave school early each year.

The ESRI survey shows that the highest dropout rates are among working class and non-employed households, and many students blamed teachers for lack of interest in keeping them in school.

The majority of dropouts also regretted their decisions to leave school early.

The report's author Dr Delma Byrne said an improvement in teacher-pupil relationships could help.