School Attendance

486. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Education and Youth when the Student Absence Reports (SAR) 2024/2025 will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45568/26]

502. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Education and Youth regarding the Student Absence Reports (SAR) 2023/2024, the number of the 1,265 suspensions at primary level which were in DEIS schools; the number of the 11,627 suspensions at post-primary level which were in DEIS schools; the number of the 27 expulsions from primary schools which were in DEIS schools; and the number of the 150 ex…

876. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department quantifies the number of children on reduced timetables or excluded from school; the national policy position on this practice; if her attention has been drawn to the extent to which it is occurring; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42848/26]

611. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of students in primary and post-primary schools reported as absent for 20 or more days in the 2024-2025 school year; the breakdown between casual non-attendance and cases linked to school reluctance or emotionally based school avoidance; if she will provide the figures for each county; and if she will make a statement on…

612. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the specific supports and funding provided to schools to address emotionally based school avoidance, EBSA; the number of schools that have implemented dedicated gradual return plans or well-being programmes for students with school reluctance in the past two years; and if she is satisfied that current resources, including NEPS and …

613. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department's assessment of the increase in school reluctance since the Covid-19 pandemic; the measures contained in the Tusla five-year plan for school attendance that specifically target emotionally based school avoidance; and when an updated national guidance document for schools and parents on this issue will be published. […

614. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps being taken to support neurodivergent students including those with autism and ADHD experiencing school reluctance; the waiting times for assessments and interventions through NEPS and CAMHS for school avoidance cases; if she will consider additional training and resources for teachers in trauma-informed and neuro-affirmi…

615. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of students referred to Tusla Education Welfare Services due to persistent absence linked to school reluctance in 2024 and to date in 2026; the success rate of re-engagement for these students; whether her Department is tracking the long-term educational and mental health outcomes for children affected by prolonged schoo…

515. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department maintains data on the number of students experiencing long-term absences; and if not, if there is a plan to start. [29574/26]

516. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to ensure that attendance campaigns and supports for schools are inclusive of neurodivergence. [29575/26]

518. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth if NEPS plans to review the Supporting your Child when they are Reluctant to Attend School Guidance documents to include specific advice for neurodivergent children. [29581/26]

261. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth for the reintroduction of a child to school (details supplied); the steps her Department is taking to reintroduce them into school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23282/26]

272. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education and Youth the spend to date on the school attendance campaign; and the overall expected spend. [23356/26]

106. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide a breakdown of schools that were successful in the Anseo attendance programme; if a geographic spread was achieved; and if the Pobal deprivation index was used in the selection of successful schools. [22679/26]

180. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures she is taking to address the increased level of absence in schools, particularly in disadvantaged areas, given new research published by the ESRI found that in DEIS urban band one schools, students are missing more than 20-days of school, which is roughly double the number of days missed by students in non-DEIS sch…

272. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the actions she is taking to tackle absenteeism in the education system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7292/26]

366. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the average class size at primary and post-primary level for each county between the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form; whether further reductions are planned within the lifetime of the Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5267/26]

481. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the staff complement in the children missing in education team; if she is satisfied that it is sufficient to deliver this important work; the measurement of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3399/26]

871. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the scale of school absenteeism since the COVID-19 pandemic, by DEIS and non-DEIS schools; the specific actions in place to reduce absenteeism, especially among children under six; when the promised new DEIS+ scheme will be published and implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59799/25]

216. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures her Department is taking to address the rise in absenteeism in Cork secondary schools, where the percentage of school days lost has increased from 8% in 2019/2020 to 11.8% in 2023/2024. [53657/25]

217. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide a county-by-county breakdown of secondary school absenteeism levels for each of the past five years, including the percentage of students missing more than 20 days per year. [53658/25]

218. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports that are being put in place for schools to tackle the issue of unexplained absences, which accounted for 43% of recorded absences in Cork secondary schools in 2023/2024. [53659/25]

219. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will report on the outcomes of the multimedia campaign on school attendance launched with Tusla Education Support Service, and whether her Department has set attendance targets to measure its effectiveness. [53660/25]

220. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if Tusla will expand resources for its Education Support Service in Cork, in view of the increase in secondary school absenteeism reported in the agency's own data. [53661/25]

221. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth how Tusla categorises and verifies "unexplained absences" in school attendance data, and what proportion of these cases receive follow-up engagement with families. [53662/25]