An average of 60,000 children miss school every day, with pupils in urban areas more likely to be absent due to stress and anxiety, according to the State agency which monitor’s school attendance. Dan O’Shea, regional manager with Tusla’s education welfare service, said children living in urban towns and cities are often more disadvantaged, experience higher levels of stress, and attend school less frequently. “All of those are contributing factors to low school attendance. Some 60,000 children miss school every school day on average, which is approximately 6 per cent of the total school-going population. In the 2018/2019 academic year, 740 school attendance notices were issued to parents whose children were consistently failing to attend, and 175 court summonses followed.

Source: The Irish Times November 05, 2019 15:31 UTC