Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 91: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will report on the operation of the National Education Welfare Board; the way the NEWB monitors and invigilates school attendance across the country; the number of staff in the NEWB that are assigned to this responsibility; if she will indicate the average absentee rate at primary and post-primary schools on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis and on recent trends in those rates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7853/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The complex issue of school attendance is systematically addressed through the provisions of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000. This act established the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) in 2002 – mandating it with supervising and implementing the provisions of the Act to effectively ensure that 'each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education' (Section 10). The legislation establishes a framework for promoting regular school attendance, participation and retention as well as tackling the manifold problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The Act also charges the NEWB with responsibility for children who are being educated outside of recognised schools, for example at home, as well as 16 – 17 year olds who leave school to take up employment.

Since mid-2009 the Board has an expanded remit which includes responsibility for the Home School Community Liaison scheme and the School Completion Programme in addition to the Educational Welfare Service. Under the extended remit, the Board is obliged to devise a single strategic approach to attendance, participation and retention. The Board is currently engaged in developing an integrated service model which would respond to the complexity of issues that impact on attendance, participation and retention. That model will be implemented in the academic year 2012-2013. This implementation will include appropriate management information systems to capture data for the measuring and monitoring of outcomes.

In relation to monitoring school attendance, the NEWB has 90 sanctioned Educational Welfare Service posts, 74 of which are currently filled (59 Educational Welfare Officers, 12 Senior Educational Welfare Officers and 3 Regional Managers). The Board also informs me that 2 Educational Welfare Officers are due to retire at the end of the month.

Since the commencement of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, schools are obliged to submit an Annual Attendance Report ("AAR") to the NEWB on the levels of school attendance each year. An overall report derived from this data is produced by the Education Research Centre (ERC).

I am advised by the Board that the data is not collected in such a way as to allow all the breakdowns requested by the Deputy; I can, however provide the annual data from recent years as a significant indicator of non-attendance rates. In summary out of a primary student population of 424,138 students in 05/06 rising to 487,504 in 09/10 the number of days lost overall at primary level was 6.3% in 05/06, 6.2% in 06/07, 6.5% in 07/08, 6.3% in 08/09 and 6.2% in 09/10.

Out of a post-primary student population of 271,349 students in 05/06 rising to 297,777 in 09/10 the number of days lost overall at post-primary primary level was 7.8% in 05/06, 7.9% in 06/07, 8.1% in 07/08, 8.3% in 08/09 and 7.9% in 09/10.

Analysis of this data identifies key findings such as:

- There has been the highest annual attendance returns ever to the NEWB from schools in 2009/10: 97% from Primary and 96% from Post Primary

- The numbers of student days lost (taking primary and post primary schools together) is running at 6.8% and is at the lower end for the five year period 2005 to 2010

As part of the on-going work around the aforementioned integration of services the Board is currently reviewing case management practices. The review will ensure a co-ordinated case-managed response to attendance involving each of the NEWB strands and schools and will be mainstreamed across the service from September 2012. The current review is affording the simultaneous opportunity to explore the optimum way of collecting relevant data so that maximising student attendance, participation and retention remain core objectives of each school.

In the interim, and whilst the model of integrated practice is being finalised, the Board has put in place a number of measures to ensure a service to all schools. In areas where there are gaps, the following categories of referral have to be accorded priority.

Ø No school place

Ø Refusal to enrol

Ø Non transfer from Primary to Post Primary School

Ø Where a student has been expelled

Ø Court directed work

Ø Child discharged from residential care without a school placement

Ø Educational welfare issues combined with child protection/serious child welfare concerns.