2,624 (12.9%) pupils in Derry ‘frequently absent’ from school

Figures show 12.9 per cent of all pupils attending schools in the city missed more than a fifth of classes and were thus marked ‘frequently absent’.

The detail was revealed by Education Minister Michelle McIlveen who was asked about attendance levels by the SDLP Assembly candidate Sinéad McLaughlin.

Ms. McLaughlin asked the minister for her assessment of how many children in the Foyle constituency were frequently absent and what measures she was taking to increase attendance.

“For the purposes of answering this question, ‘frequently absent’ is defined as pupils who have an absence rate of 20 per cent or more.

“The figures for September 2021 to January 2022 inclusive, show that 2,624 pupils had this level of absence during this period equating to 12.9% of 20,337 which was the total pupil enrolment in primary, post-primary and special schools. These figures relate to pupils who attend schools located in the Foyle constituency,” replied the minister.

She said the coronavirus pandemic has had a knock-on effect for pupil attendance and that this is something the educational authorities have been looking at.

“COVID-19 has had a significant impact on regular attendance at school and the Department works in partnership with Education Authority colleagues to ensure that attendance policy is up to date and is being applied effectively by schools. It is particularly important to support children in their learning following the adverse impacts of the pandemic,” she said.

Ms. McIlveen said her department has a range of policies and interventions in place including ‘Pupil Attendance Strategy (Miss School. Miss Out)’ which sets out ‘a strategy for improvement and highlights actions for parents, schools and support services that will encourage regular attendance at school’.

The Department published a series of case studies in 2018 entitled ‘The Challenge of Improving Pupil Attendance at School - Case Studies paper’. Ten schools provided details of the range of interventions they introduced and what lessons they learned from these initiatives, said the minister.

The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI), meanwhile, has published a 2-part good practice report to complement the Department’s Pupil Attendance Strategy, said the minister.

Ms. McIlveen said that the ‘Miss School. Miss Out’ campaign was paused in 2019/20 and 2020/21 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

But, she said: “A further multi-platform advertising campaign based on the aspirational message of the importance of education to fulfil ones potential entitled ‘Try and Stop Me’ has been developed and is currently live https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/try-and-stop-me.

“The Education Welfare Service is a specialist service that seeks to support children of compulsory school age and their families to get the best out of the education system. It discharges the statutory responsibility of the Education Authority in relation to school attendance.”