Almost 8,000 referrals to Tusla over poor school attendance in last year

More than a quarter of all primary school students, and more than a fifth of all post-primary students, missed out on 20 or more school days during the 2022/23 school year. Picture: Larry Cummins

The number of students reported to Tusla due to concerns about poor school attendance is over 25% higher now than it was before the pandemic.

Figures provided to the Irish Examiner show more than 8,000 referrals were made to the Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) between September 2023 and last August.