Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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405. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children on reduced school days or absences due to school-based avoidance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36099/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The position of the Department of Education & Youth is that all pupils who are enrolled in a school should attend school for the full day. Where this is not possible for exceptional circumstances this is known as a reduced school day.

A commitment was made to ensure robust data collection on the use of reduced school days and to further ensure that reduced school days are only used in a manner that is limited, appropriate and absolutely necessary. In September 2021, the Department of Education & Youth issued Reduced School Day Guidelines to all schools on the procedures to be followed when reduced school days are put in place for students. These guidelines came into effect on 1 January 2022. These guidelines clearly state that reduced school days should not be used as a sanction, offered as an alternative to a sanction, or used as a behavioural management tool.

Reduced School Days or RSD is a transitionary arrangement which should only ever be considered in very limited and time-bound circumstances such as, for example, supporting a student to return to school after a period of absence, or due to a medical or mental health-related condition, or due to other exceptional circumstance and only with the consent of the parent or the guardians. It is designed to assist the student to attend for some part of the school day along with his/her peers, where it is not possible at a point in time for them to attend in a full-time capacity.

The latest available statistics, which are published on gov.ie, show that during the 2023/24 school year TESS received a total of 1,275 first notifications for school students who were on a reduced school day. This is broken down further as 612 primary students, 566 post-primary students and 97 special school students. The department is committed to publishing data in respect of reduced school days on an annual basis with the data in respect of the current school year due to be published in the autumn of 2025.

The latest available statistics are published at the following link:

My department continues to work closely with Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) who employs Educational Welfare Officers throughout the country to provide support, guidance and advice to all schools and parents with regard to school attendance issues to ensure that all students are supported to the greatest extent possible to attend for the full school day and to provide the best outcomes for students, school, and parents. The Educational Welfare service does not specifically collate school avoidance information for children.