AQW 9311/11-15


Mr Mervyn Storey
Democratic Unionist Party
North Antrim


Tabled Date: 06/03/2012
Answered On Date: 26/03/2012
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Education how many school-age children are currently not attending (i) primary school; and (ii) post-primary school, broken down by Education and Library Board area.


Answer:
The answer refers to:
1. Children with a bad absenteeism record;
2. Children receiving their education other than at school such as, hospital or young offenders;
3. Children who are home schooled; and
4. Children who do not fall into any of the above and are not registered.
Current numbers in categories 1 – 3 have been provided by the Education and Library Boards and are presented in the table attached. Data on school attendance for the 2010/11 school year will be published on the Department’s website on 29 March 2012.
Parents of every child of compulsory school age are legally required to ensure that their child receives full-time education suitable to his or her age, ability and aptitude; either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. There is no legal requirement for them to register the child with a school.
If parents choose to home educate there is no legal requirement for them to advise their Education and Library Board or the Department of their decision. The information in the table refers to the number of children for whom the ELB has received notifications that they are being home educated. The numbers fluctuate during the course of a year and the figures provided by the ELBs therefore reflect the position on the date the information was requested.
The Department does not have information on children who do not fall into any of the above categories and are not registered with a school. However the establishment of the Education and Skills Authority may provide an opportunity to reconcile on a regional basis the children registered in school against the child health database.
To ask the Minister of Education how many school-age children are currently not attending (i) primary school; and (ii) post-primary school, broken down by Education and Library Board area - AQW 9311/11-15
The answer was to include all the categories below:
1. Children with a bad absenteeism record
2. Children receiving their education elsewhere, such as, hospital or young offenders
3. Children who are home schooled
Question / ELB
BELB
SEELB
SELB
WELB
NEELB
Primary
PP
Primary
PP
Primary
PP
Primary
PP
Primary
PP
Number of children currently referred to ELBs because of poor attendance
182
631
47
259
158
537
184
540
176
655
Number of children currently receiving education other than at school
4
209
8
116
18
131
1
131
23
212
Number of children that are being 'home-schooled' ie Elective Home Education
5
1
26
26
13
26
12
23
30
17
TOTALS
 
Primary
PP
Number of attendance cases currently referred to ELBs because of poor attendance
747
2622
Number of children currently receiving education elsewhere:
54
799
Number of children that are being 'home-schooled' ie Elective Home Education
86
93