TESS campaign tackles absenteeism in Mayo and nationwide

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

New data from TESS in Mayo, shows that the number of days lost by students at the primary school level represents 7.6% of the total days in the 2023/24 school year. Additionally, data shows that the number of days lost by students at the post-primary level represents 11.9% of the total school days in the 2023/24 school year.

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

This represents 8% of the total school days in the 2023/24 school year. 8.6% of total days were lost in the 2022/23 school year.  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, but 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 represent 11.3% of total school days. 11.4% of total days were lost in the 2022/23 school year.  

Áine O’Keeffe, Director of TESS, says that increasing school attendance is the key function of TESS. “The campaign aims to raise awareness about how many school days are being missed, and how those missed days can add up quickly over time. Importantly, it also shows parents, guardians, and schools where they can find more information and support to help improve and promote school attendance.”

The recent data publication 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.

According to figures for Mayo, 19.5% of students in primary school missed 20 days or more in the 2023/24 school year. In post-primary school, 27.3% of students missed 20 days or more in the 2023/34 school year.

On a national level, for the 2023/24 school year, 94,501 (22.1%) of primary school students missed more than 20 days, down from 110,151 (25.1%) in the 2022/23 school year. 67,612 (21.2%) of students in post-primary lost 20+ days in the 2023/24 school year, up from 65,883 (22.3%) in the 2022/23 school year.

The new multi-platform campaign 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.

The campaign can be watched on YouTube, and you can find more information at gov.ie/SchoolAttendance.

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