The impact of the Covid pandemic has led to an “unprecedented” number of children being chronically absent from school, the Ministry of Education (DE) has said.
The absentee rate can be seen from figures collected in the 2021-22 school year.
A chronic absence is defined as an absence of more than 10% of the year.
The Children’s Ombudsman in England is concerned some pupils have never fully returned to school following lockdowns.
Research by Dame Rachel de Souza found persistent school absenteeism in England was almost double what it was before the pandemic.
Earlier reports from the Children and Young People’s Commissioner of Northern Ireland (NICCY) also said the pandemic and restrictions have had a “severe impact” on children and young people.
Most pupils in Northern Ireland were remotely taught outside of school for months in 2020 and early 2021.
The Department of Education is conducting equality screening on a new way for schools to record student attendance ahead of the 2022-23 school year.
The new method is voluntary for schools but introduces grades for student absenteeism.
“Chronic” absenteeism is defined as a student absent between 10% and 20% of school days.
“Severe chronic” absenteeism is when a student misses more than 20% of school.
- Almost two million students are regularly absent from school
- The pandemic has had a “severe impact” on young people
- Children with special needs who have been ‘forgotten’ during Covid
“The impact of the pandemic is such that schools and the Educational Welfare Service (EWS) are seeing an unprecedented number of children falling into the chronic and severe chronic attendance categories,” the DE Equality Screening said.
“The application of absenteeism levels by schools will help reinforce the importance of regular school attendance.
“It will provide a more detailed analysis of the number and percentage of students who fall into each grade and what strategies are needed to support those students.
“The guide reflects that there are a range of pupils/groups of pupils who may have specific difficulties in attending school and describes the range of support mechanisms available.
“Ultimately, it’s a win when we see improvements in the proportion of students who are defined as chronically or severely chronically absent.”
In England, parents can face a £60 fine if their children are persistently absent from school.
This is not the case in Northern Ireland, but parents can ultimately be taken to court if their child is frequently absent from school.
In Northern Ireland, when a pupil’s attendance at school falls below 85% of the days over a period of time, this usually triggers follow-up action.
This may initially involve a parental visit by a parenting officer and there is usually a lengthy process before the parents are prosecuted.
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