More children missing school today than before Covid pandemic, says ESRI report

More children are missing school now than before the Covid pandemic, especially those from socially deprived areas and those who do not like school, new research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has found.The report used data from the longitudinal study Growing Up in Ireland to identify patterns of absence among children aged nine to 13 years old. It compared two sets of children a decade apart – those who were born in 1998, and those who were born in 2008. There are almost 20,000 children in both of these cohorts, though not all of those would have been the correct age for this study.Over a fifth of primary and post-primary students have chronic absence levels, that is missing 20 days or more over the school year. READ MOREThe ESRI report uses longitudinal data to identify the reasons underlying this trend and whether particular groups of young people have increased absence levels.The headline finding is that there are higher rates of school absence in Ireland since the pandemic, as has been found in many other countries.There are also greater socio-emotional difficulties among young people now than a decade earlier, and this increase “has played an important role in driving a growth in absence levels,” the report said.Not liking school is also more strongly predictive of absence than previously, according to the research.[ School refusal: Parents and experts call for compassionate approach to classroom anxietyOpens in new window ]The analysis found school absence rates were higher among unskilled manual and non-employed families, families experiencing financial strain and lone-parent households. It also found young people with a disability are much more likely to miss school than their peers, as are those experiencing adverse life events such as bereavement or addiction in their homes. Young people are also more likely to miss school if their parents have a harsher parenting style – for example, shouting at their child rather than explaining things – and there is a lack of routine around bedtimes and breakfast, it said. In terms of the types of school these students attend, there are higher absence rates in DEIS schools, due to the concentration of socio-economic disadvantage in these areas.Schools that involve students to a greater extent in decision-making tend to have lower absence rates, while absence rates are higher among young people with negative attitudes to school.[ Chronic absenteeism from school has worsened since Covid and must be tackledOpens in new window ]In order to address the issues leading to school absences, Emer Smyth, co-author of the report, said “schools can make a difference by fostering positive attitudes to school, greater student involvement and reducing negative teacher-student and peer interaction to enhance attendance”. The findings link between socio-economic disadvantage and a rise in absences “highlights the need for broader anti-child poverty policy to bolster educational interventions,” Anna Moya, another co-author of the report, said.“Mental health and parenting support services are also needed to assist families through challenging life events,” Moya said.