AQW 8805/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 13/03/2024
Answered On Date: 19/03/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education whether his Department will consider collecting Section 75 disaggregated data from affected children, young people and relevant service providers on (i) the number of children not attending school; and (ii) the reasons for non-attendance.

Answer:

Pupil attendance is reported each year through the annual school census and is published in a statistical bulletin. This bulletin already provides disaggregated data with pupil attendance analysis by ethnicity, religion, gender, school phase and for pupils with Special Educational Needs. The school census does not collect information on sexual orientation, marital status, political opinion or whether a pupil has dependants.