SCOIL MOCHUA – ATTENDANCE INFORMATION
TUSLA AND ABSENTEEISM
The following is an update on student absenteeism, and on the school’s obligations under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 to report such absences.
The school is obliged to report to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in the following cases:
• A student has been absent for 20+ days
• A principal is concerned about a student’s absence
Other situations concerning suspension or expulsions also warrant reporting, but the two situations listed above are the most common that we encounter in Scoil Mochua.
The reasons for all absences are recorded by the class teacher, so please write a note at the back of your child’s journal every time your child is absent. For younger children, who do not yet use a homework journal, we ask parents to send in a short note with your child upon their return to school, explaining the reason for their absence. There is no need to call the office if your child is out.
If your child is approaching 20 days absenteeism, we will send home a reminder note alerting you to this fact.
We would like to draw your attention to the second reason listed above. If we have concerns about regular patterns of absenteeism, or unexplained absenteeism, then we will arrange a meeting with you. If the level of absenteeism continues, then we will report to Tusla before the 20 days has been reached.
The number of days your child has missed will be noted on each pupil’s end of year report in June. This is the number of days missed up to the date that the report is posted home. However, the school continues to record school attendance up to the last day of term, and the annual figures submitted to Tusla include absences up to the last day of the school year.
Roll call is taken at 10am every morning. If your child is taken out of school early for an appointment, this will be noted on our attendance system. In this case, your child will be marked present, as he/she was in attendance at 10am, but a note will be inserted on the system indicating that he/she left early. We understand that there are times where appointments during school times are unavoidable, but we ask that they are kept to a minimum. If your child arrives in school after 10am, it will not be possible for the class teacher to amend the online roll. If your child is late for school on a regular basis, then we will arrange a meeting with you to discuss same.
We are aiming, with your help, to cut down on unnecessary/unexplained absences from school. Children who miss school time due to poor attendance or poor punctuality are at a disadvantage academically. It goes without saying that if your child is ill, regardless of number of days missed, do not send them to school.
If you have any queries about this, please do not hesitate to contact the Principal. Further details are available on www.tusla.ie/services/educational-welfare-services.
Catherine Carragher, Principal
The school is obliged to report to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in the following cases:
• A student has been absent for 20+ days
• A principal is concerned about a student’s absence
Other situations concerning suspension or expulsions also warrant reporting, but the two situations listed above are the most common that we encounter in Scoil Mochua.
The reasons for all absences are recorded by the class teacher, so please write a note at the back of your child’s journal every time your child is absent. For younger children, who do not yet use a homework journal, we ask parents to send in a short note with your child upon their return to school, explaining the reason for their absence. There is no need to call the office if your child is out.
If your child is approaching 20 days absenteeism, we will send home a reminder note alerting you to this fact.
We would like to draw your attention to the second reason listed above. If we have concerns about regular patterns of absenteeism, or unexplained absenteeism, then we will arrange a meeting with you. If the level of absenteeism continues, then we will report to Tusla before the 20 days has been reached.
The number of days your child has missed will be noted on each pupil’s end of year report in June. This is the number of days missed up to the date that the report is posted home. However, the school continues to record school attendance up to the last day of term, and the annual figures submitted to Tusla include absences up to the last day of the school year.
Roll call is taken at 10am every morning. If your child is taken out of school early for an appointment, this will be noted on our attendance system. In this case, your child will be marked present, as he/she was in attendance at 10am, but a note will be inserted on the system indicating that he/she left early. We understand that there are times where appointments during school times are unavoidable, but we ask that they are kept to a minimum. If your child arrives in school after 10am, it will not be possible for the class teacher to amend the online roll. If your child is late for school on a regular basis, then we will arrange a meeting with you to discuss same.
We are aiming, with your help, to cut down on unnecessary/unexplained absences from school. Children who miss school time due to poor attendance or poor punctuality are at a disadvantage academically. It goes without saying that if your child is ill, regardless of number of days missed, do not send them to school.
If you have any queries about this, please do not hesitate to contact the Principal. Further details are available on www.tusla.ie/services/educational-welfare-services.
Catherine Carragher, Principal