School Attendance and Holidays
Whilst parents and carers have a legal duty to ensure that their children of compulsory school age receive a suitable full-time education it is also vital that they encourage their child's regular and punctual attendance at school.
It is important that everyone works together to help children obtain the best possible start in life with a good education. Parents should therefore be encouraged to work in partnership with the school, notifying the school of the reason for any of their child’s absences and highlighting any areas of concern they may have so they can be addressed promptly.
Every school has a link Education and Welfare Officer (EWO) employed by the relevant Education and Library Board (ELB) whose aim is to reduce unnecessary absences from school by offering support and help to pupils, parents and schools. A school will make a referral to Education Welfare Service when a pupils' attendance is a cause for concern or when attendance drops below 85%.
The EWO can suggest things that parents can do to help improve matters, can offer to go to the school with parents to talk to the staff about any problems and what needs done or can attend the school on their behalf to try and find answers to their child's problems. The EWO can put parents in touch with other agencies that may be able to offer further advice and help. If the problem is of a practical nature, the EWO can also offer advice about free school meals, uniform grants and transport to school.
You can obtain more information about non-attendance at the Education Support website.
Length of School Day
The structure of a school day should be attendance on any day under instruction (other than in religious education).
- Three hours (minimum) in the case of a pupil enrolled in a class composed mainly of pupils who, at the beginning of the school year, had not reached the age of eight years.
- Four and a half hours (minimum) in the case of any other pupil.
This information is from the Primary and Secondary General Regulations 1973.
