SCOIL MOCHUA
ATTENDANCE INFORMATION
The following is an update on the school’s obligations under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 to report absences.
Currently schools report/notify the following categories of students to Tusla Education Support Services (TESS):
· School Returns: Schools report all student who have been absent 20 days or more by submitting Student Absence Reports (SAR) twice each year.
· Annual Attendance Report (AAR). Schools report the total number of days lost through absence by submitting an Annual Attendance Report (AAR) at the end of the academic year.
· Educational Welfare Referrals. Where a school principal has a concern in relation to the school attendance of a pupil and having exhausted in-school interventions an Educational Welfare Referral can be made to TESS in relation to these individual pupils.
· Reduced School Day Notifications. Since January 1st, 2022, all students who are on a reduced school day must be notified to TESS.
· Expulsions and suspensions. Schools are obliged to notify TESS where there is an intention to expel a pupil and also must notify TESS where the expulsion has been confirmed. Where a student has been suspended for a period of six consecutive days or a cumulative total of 20 school days a notification must be sent to TESS. These notifications are currently paper based and will be added to the portal in the autumn.
The two situations listed below are the most common that we encounter in Scoil Mochua:
1. A student has been absent for 20+ days
2. The principal is concerned about a student’s absence
You will receive an alert on the Aladdin app if your child is absent. Please record the reason for absence on the app. There is no need to send in written notes or call the office if your child is out.
If your child is approaching 20 days absenteeism, you will receive a reminder alerting you to this fact on the Aladdin app.
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
https://www.tusla.ie/tess/tess-ews/reporting-absenteeism/
Catherine Carragher, Principal
Currently schools report/notify the following categories of students to Tusla Education Support Services (TESS):
· School Returns: Schools report all student who have been absent 20 days or more by submitting Student Absence Reports (SAR) twice each year.
· Annual Attendance Report (AAR). Schools report the total number of days lost through absence by submitting an Annual Attendance Report (AAR) at the end of the academic year.
· Educational Welfare Referrals. Where a school principal has a concern in relation to the school attendance of a pupil and having exhausted in-school interventions an Educational Welfare Referral can be made to TESS in relation to these individual pupils.
· Reduced School Day Notifications. Since January 1st, 2022, all students who are on a reduced school day must be notified to TESS.
· Expulsions and suspensions. Schools are obliged to notify TESS where there is an intention to expel a pupil and also must notify TESS where the expulsion has been confirmed. Where a student has been suspended for a period of six consecutive days or a cumulative total of 20 school days a notification must be sent to TESS. These notifications are currently paper based and will be added to the portal in the autumn.
The two situations listed below are the most common that we encounter in Scoil Mochua:
1. A student has been absent for 20+ days
2. The principal is concerned about a student’s absence
You will receive an alert on the Aladdin app if your child is absent. Please record the reason for absence on the app. There is no need to send in written notes or call the office if your child is out.
If your child is approaching 20 days absenteeism, you will receive a reminder alerting you to this fact on the Aladdin app.
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
https://www.tusla.ie/tess/tess-ews/reporting-absenteeism/
Catherine Carragher, Principal
SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD WHEN THEY ARE RELUCTANT TO ATTEND SCHOOL
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School should be a happy, safe place for children, but it is not unusual for children to feel uneasy about going to school now and again. However, if your child begins to regularly experience strong feelings such as reluctance about going to school or have difficulty staying in school, it is important to notice this and respond quickly.
Working with your child's class teacher from the beginning, is essential in supporting them while they feel like this. |
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It is important to give a strong message to your child that even though they are experiencing strong feelings about school attendance they need to go to school.
By reading this document published by the Department of Education you will find information on:
By reading this document published by the Department of Education you will find information on:
- Why your child may feel reluctant about going to school.
- Managing your own thoughts and feelings.
- What you can do to support your child in going to school when they are reluctant.
- What you as a parent can expect your child’s school to do to support your child at this time.
