Two Meath schools included in Anseo Framework

Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee, TD in partnership with the Tusla Education Support Service (TESS), has announced the launch of a nationwide multimedia campaign to promote regular school attendance across Ireland.

One key part of this effort is the Anseo Framework, a school-based model that gives principals, teachers, and families the tools they need to tackle absenteeism. This will be rolled out initially to 60 schools, including two schools in Meath.

The Minister has announced that O’Carolan College, a post-primary school in in Nobber, and Scoil Mhuire, a primary school in Navan, will both be part of the roll-out.

The campaign launch comes as new data from TESS shows that nationally more than one in five children and young people at primary and post-primary level miss more than 20 days of their school year.

The TESS Annual Attendance Report and Student Absence Report for the 2023/2024 school year, published by Tusla, also show that while absenteeism remains high, total days lost and chronic absenteeism have both fallen for the second consecutive year.

Minister McEntee said:

“Childhood is a time of great opportunity. Every day in school is a building block for a child’s future. When students miss school, they miss out, not only on learning, but also on social development and valuable time with friends and teachers. I am pleased to be launching a new multimedia campaign to raise awareness of the importance of consistent school attendance and encourage positive behaviour change.

“In my first Dáil speech as Minister for Education and Youth, I committed to taking action to address unacceptably high levels of children and young people missing school. Today, I’m reaffirming that commitment: we are bringing forward new legislation, and strengthening supports for schools and families to ensure every child has the best possible opportunity to achieve their full potential.

“Children and young people in communities across Ireland are missing a concerning number of school days each year. These days add up quickly, and as a result, there is a real risk that many students will not achieve their full potential from education. Regular school attendance is essential not just for academic achievement, but also for wellbeing, social development and long-term life outcomes.

“While I welcome that improvements have been recorded for a second year in a row, the number of children and young people missing significant time from school is still far too high. In the last school year, one in five students missed at least a month of school. This requires continued action.”

In County Meath, data shows that the number of days lost by students at primary level represents 7.6 per cent of the total school days in the 2023/24 school year, while this figures stood at 9.4 per cent days for post primary schools.

The number of days lost by students at primary level in Meath has decreased from 8,689,829 in the 2021/22 school year to 6,247,325 in the 2023/24 school year.

However, in post primary schools, the total number of days lost has risen for the second consecutive year to 6,029,243 from 5,569,447 in the 2022/23 school year, though this increase is largely accounted for by the increase of 24,000 students in the total post-primary student population.

The total days lost in the 2023/24 school year represents 11.3 per cent of total school days down slightly on 11.4 per cent for the 2022/23 school year.

The data published today has shown that there has been a reduction in the level of chronic absenteeism (20+ days missed) in schools but that levels are still higher than pre-pandemic figures.

In Meath, 19.3 per cent of students in primary school and 19.1 per cent in post primary school missed 20 days or more in the 2023/24 school year. Nationally this figure stands at 22.1 per cent for primary school students and 21.2 per cent for secondary schools.

The new multi-platform campaign, including TV, radio and cinemas, seeks to help address absenteeism by encouraging everyone involved in the lives of children and young people – including parents, guardians, teachers, and communities – to support and prioritise regular school attendance.

Áine O’Keeffe, Director of TESS, said:

“Increasing school attendance is the key function of TESS. We are very excited to launch, together with Minister McEntee, a new national multimedia campaign aimed at raising awareness around the often-underestimated impact of missed school days here and there and leading those who are responsible for school going children to supportive resources to improve daily attendance.

“TESS is also delighted with the overwhelmingly positive response the Anseo Framework has received from schools around Ireland. We are rolling it out to 60 more schools this term, with the potential to introduce it to many more in the current school year and to all schools by 2028.”