Attendance and Punctuality - Explaining Terminology and Processes

This explainer outlines processes and terminology around attendance and punctuality for our families.

School attendance and punctuality are correlated with better learning outcomes and a stronger sense of community and happiness for children in school. There will always be situations where a child has to stay at home, due to illness and other unavoidable situations. It's important to note that where a child has been vomiting or has diarrhoea, they must be kept at home until 48 hours after the last episode as per HSE guidelines. Outside of this, wherever possible pupils should be in school each day.

School starts at 9:20am each day. Attendance is recorded daily by the class teacher on our online roll books via Aladdin. If the child arrives later than 9:20am, the time of arrival is also recorded here (this is calculated by Aladdin into learning time missed at the end of the year). If a child arrives later than 10:20am, they are marked absent for the day. 

The Legal Requirements

There are two mandated reporting mechanisms for attendance where attendance is reported to TUSLA, the child and family agency.

School Attendance Reports

There are two reporting periods in the year, September to December and January to June. We submit the school attendance returns in January for September to December and again in June.

On this form we are required to list any pupils, over the age of 6, who have missed 20 school days for any reason. You will be informed if your child is included in the report. These figures are used for statistical purposes only.

The reports are not something to be concerned about in themselves. While attendance is hugely important there are also very valid reasons for children to miss school and this is understood. Where the school has concerns about your child's attendance, we will be in touch to discuss with you separately (see the next section). Please be mindful that missed days add up quickly, and 20 days in a year is a month of learning time the child has lost, so it is important to minimise absences that are within a family's control.

Discretionary Referrals

Discretionary referrals are made where a school is worried about the attendance of a pupil. This might be due to a lot of unexplained absences, a pattern of absence, significant ongoing issues with punctuality leading to a lot of missed learning time etc. A school will refer a child to the Education Welfare Officer where they have these concerns. The role of the Education Welfare Officer is primarily to offer support to families to improve attendance.

The school will always contact parents before referring to the Education Welfare Officer and support where possible.

Key things to note

• The aim of attendance and punctuality procedures are to ensure that every child gets the best experience of education and maximises learning time. We are available to support as needed.
• There is no need for concern if you get a letter saying your child has been included on the attendance report. Explained absences are recorded as such.
• Be sure to enter your absence reason on Aladdin each time your child is absent, to keep that on record.
• Aim to have your child in school for 9:20am each day. We understand this isn't always possible, and understanding is always there for extenuating circumstances. Please request support from the school if it is needed. 

The Tusla Education Support Service has more information for parents/guardians on their page here.