Shock report: One in five Kilkenny students miss four weeks of school year

Children are still missing more days from school than before the pandemic, a new report from Tusla has revealed.

In Kilkenny schools an average of 8% of all teaching days were missed by pupils, in the 2023/ 24 school year.

Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) in partnership with Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee, has now launched a nationwide multimedia campaign to promote regular school attendance in all counties across Ireland.

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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.

Children and young people in Kilkenny are missing a concerning number of school days each year.

In Kilkenny primary schools The data shows that the number of days lost by students at primary level represents 7.8% of the total school days in the 2023/24 school year.

The number of days lost by students at post-primary level represents 8.8% days of the total school days in that school year.
Nationally this figure dropped slightly from the year before, from 8.6% to 8% at primary level, from 11.4% to 11.3% at post-primary.

When TESS measured the number of students who missed more than 20 days each, Kilkenny was well below average in primary schools, and just above average at post-primary schools.

In local primary schools, 16.1% of students missed 20 days or more in the 2023/24 school year. This is compared to a national average of 22.1% in the same year.

Across Kilkenny secondary schools it was revealed that 21.7% of students missed 20 days or more in the 2023/24 school year. The national figures are 21.2% for the 2023/24 school year.

When students miss school, they miss out, not only on learning, but also on valuable time with friends and teachers.

This new campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of consistent school attendance and encourage positive behaviour change. Regular school attendance is essential not just for academic achievement, but also for wellbeing, social development and long-term life outcomes.

Áine O’Keeffe, Director of TESS, said the campaign “shows parents, guardians, and schools where they can find more information and support to help improve and promote school attendance.”