AQW 38044/11-15

Mr Roy Beggs
Ulster Unionist Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 03/11/2014
Answered On Date: 11/11/2014
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 30989/11-15, to detail (i) the rate per thousand of post-primary school pupils who had less than 85 per cent attendance in 2013/14, broken down by (a) council area; and (b) electoral ward; and (ii) what further action is being taken to reduce levels of absenteeism.

Answer:

The information provided in AQW 30989/11-15 is still current. Data for 2013/14 will not be available until March 2015.

Regular school attendance and educational attainment are inextricably linked. Regular attendance ensures that pupils get the best possible outcomes from their period in compulsory education and improves their chances of employment and life chances in the longer term. I have given close attention to the conclusions and recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee report on this issue, in particular that we need a Pupil Attendance Strategy. A Memorandum of Reply was published in August and it sets out a programme of work for my Department and the Education and Library Boards (ELBs).

Much has already been done. For example, to assist with the development of the Pupil Attendance Strategy, my officials have held workshops with schools and the Education Welfare Service (EWS). Direct engagement will also take place with pupils, parents, school governors, other government departments and the wider community. My Department’s guidance to schools on “Pupil Attendance and Absence Recording” has been revised and will issue in the coming weeks. It strongly recommends, among other things, that each school should have a clear pupil attendance policy. This has been supplemented by “School Attendance Matters – a Parent’s Guide” which was issued in September for distribution to the parents/carers of all school-age children.My Department and the ELBs continue to provide support to vulnerable groups, such as Looked after Children, Travellers, School-Age Mothers and Newcomers. This work is supported by the EWS, looked after children teams, the Traveller Education Support Service (TESS) and the Inclusion and Diversity Service. The levels of unauthorised pupil absences are unacceptable. Evidence shows that not all schools are following up on the reasons for absences. My Department will be writing to these schools in the coming weeks to highlight how many days of education have been missed by their pupils where the reason for the absence is unknown. If we are to develop a meaningful Pupil Attendance Strategy, we need to know the underlying causes of absenteeism which develop into educational underachievement for so many of our young people.I remain committed to addressing the issue to ensure that our young people have every opportunity to reap the benefits of regular school attendance.