Over 870 notices have been sent to families over the last two years after children were absent from school for 20 days or more.

New figures released to Newstalk show that 879 school attendance notices were issued to the families of 589 children in 2021 and 2022.

Any child who misses 20 school days must be reported by law, and schools are legally required to report such absences to the child and family agency twice a year.

134 court summonses were issued during the same timeframe to the parents or guardians of 92 individual children for repeated absences of their child from school.

Obligation

Family law solicitor Gillian O'Mahony told Newstalk parents are responsible for ensuring their child attends school.

“The emphasis needs to be on helping families because it is not the child’s obligation, as such, to attend school, it is the parent’s obligation to cause their child to attend school and that is in the legislation,” she said.

“It is the parent’s obligation to ensure that their child attends school between the ages of six and 16.”

Meanwhile, there has been an 18% increase in the number of children referred to the agency’s Education Support Service last year compared to 2021.

Absence

Áine O'Keeffe, national manager with Tusla Educational Welfare Services, told Newstalk the agency does everything it can to encourage regular school attendance.

“Where we are very concerned is where a student is regularly absent for reasons that are unexplained,” she said.

“I think, as we have come back to full school opening what we are trying to encourage is very regular school attendance.

“We are conscious that parents are trying to strike a balance.”

Where schools have a concern about a child’s attendance, they are required to make a referral. P

The Tusla figures show the service received 6,278 referrals last year, and 5,129 in 2021.