Durkan: ‘Children falling through the cracks’ as 74,000 pupils classed as chronic absentees
SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan has expressed deep concern at figures showing that more than 74,000 pupils are now considered chronic absentees.
In the 2023/24 academic year, 33,573 primary school pupils were classified as chronically or severely chronically absent, while the figure for post-primary pupils was 40,617.
Mr Durkan asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of pupils deemed chronic absentees; and with long term absences in primary and post- primary settings, including those who were absent due to mental ill health, in each of the last two years.
The MLA for Foyle commented: “These numbers are stark and while I appreciate that there is a myriad of reasons why a child may be missing school, such a large proportion of the school population being on long-term absence should be a serious cause for concern.
“We’re talking about thousands of children missing out on the opportunity to engage with their peers, forge friendships and learn in a classroom setting. This is not just an education issue but it is having a profound impact on families, with parents missing work to care for their children and struggling, alongside schools, to get these pupils back into the classroom.
“The real difficulty is that the longer a child remains away from the school environment, the harder it becomes to help them return. I’m seeing a growing number of parents presenting to my constituency office seeking support. These are not isolated case but reflect a systemic problem that has been building for some time. From my experience, the majority of cases are linked to anxiety and mental ill-health.
“For many children and young people, the disruption and trauma experienced during Covid has had lasting consequences which are now major barriers to education. The Education Authority doesn’t currently categorise reasons for absenteeism, this is something which I’ve been pushing to change.
“This underscores the need for early-intervention and school-based mental health supports, such as the Healthy Happy Minds counselling and therapy programme. Funding for the programme was pulled during the absence of Ministers, and all parties committed to restoring it once Stormont returned. Yet almost two years on, it has still not been reactivated. That is deeply disappointing for families who are crying out for support.
“I would strongly urge parents and educators to respond to the Department of Education’s public consultation on a new draft school attendance strategy, and make their voices heard. We cannot continue to allow thousands of children to fall through the cracks. Attendance is not just an educational issue; it is a mental health issue, a public health issue and a societal responsibility.”
The consultation opened on December 8 2025 and will run until March 6, 2026
The figures confirmed that in the 2023/24 school year, 25,567 primary and 25,994 post primary students were classed as ‘chronic absentees,’ while 8,006 primary and 14,623 post primary students were classed as ‘severe chronic’ absentees. Chronic absence has been defined as 10-19.99% and severe chronic defined as 20% or more of a pupil’s total half day sessions recorded as absent by primary and post primary schools.