Even short spells of school absence of one to two days at age 13 are linked to lower Leaving Certificate grades, a report from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has found.
Chronic school absence at ages nine and 13 is predictive of depressive symptoms and higher stress levels at both 20 and 25 years, the study found.
Chronic absence, defined as missing 20 or more days a year, could also result in a student losing more than 80 points in their Leaving Cert, according to the study.
“This performance gap is evident across all social groups. There is therefore no evidence that more advantaged families can successfully counter the negative effects of absenteeism for their children,” the report said.
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Responding to the survey, Barnardos, a charity which supports children, said it was concerned “certain groups of children, experiencing various vulnerabilities, are at much greater risk of school absenteeism, due to adversities within the home, practical difficulties or health issues”.
Its own research last year showed nearly twice as many students in DEIS primary schools, which are usually located in socially deprived areas, frequently (once a week or more) or always refused to go to school (10 per cent), compared to students in non-DEIS schools (5 per cent).
Nearly one quarter of parents of children in DEIS secondary schools said their children refused to attend frequently or all the time (24 per cent), compared to just 13 per cent of parents with children in non-DEIS secondary schools, Barnardos said in a statement.
Monica Hynds, the charity’s director of innovation and development, said: “We know first-hand that children in more economically-disadvantaged communities can miss school due to a combination of issues such as a struggle with routines; problems within the home including parental adversities such as addiction and domestic violence; their own issues around anxiety and other mental health problems.”
Hynds said schools “cannot be expected to tackle the issues alone”. She called on the Government to increase investment in services which support families facing adversity or living with intergenerational trauma.
The new report, published on Thursday by the ESRI and produced in partnership with Tusla Education Support Service, uses Growing Up in Ireland data to provide the first Irish evidence on the effects of school absence at age 13 on educational qualifications, labour market outcomes and wellbeing.
Longer school absence at age 13 is “significantly related to lower chances of going on to higher education and of achieving a degree by age 25″.
The report also found young people who attend a school with a higher prevalence of chronic absence achieve lower Leaving Certificate points. Even young people who themselves have a good attendance record have poorer outcomes if school-level absence is higher.
Attending a post-primary school with a high level of absence is also linked to lower chances of attending higher education, even for those who had good attendance records, according to the report.
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Young people with prolonged absence from school are also more negative about the benefits of their schooling to their broader social and personal development, “especially the role of their school in increasing their self-confidence and helping them develop into a well-balanced person”.
Life satisfaction at ages 20 and 25 is much lower among those who were persistently absent from school at age 13. “This difference is sizeable, larger than that by gender or disability,” the report said.
Those who have higher levels of absence at age 13 report poorer physical health at ages 20 and 25, even when taking into account the effect of earlier health, disability and social background.
Much lower levels of general trust in others are evident in young people who miss school days, even among those with moderate levels of absence (four to six days).
“The gap in trust between those with no absence and those with 11 or more days is sizeable, suggesting some degree of social alienation among this group of adults,” the report said.
Children in high-absence primary schools also tend to have lower levels of trust in others.
“It is difficult to identify the reasons for these patterns, but it seems likely that school absence has disrupted key developmental processes that enhance wellbeing, coping strategies and social ties in later life,” the report noted.
Emer Smyth, co-author of the study, said school absence has emerged as “an important driver of later inequality, with very significant negative consequences for educational attainment, health, wellbeing and social belonging”.
“The findings highlight the urgency of addressing school absence, especially given the higher levels apparent since the pandemic.
“It is important too to look at how schools can mitigate the disruption of student development caused by absence through initiatives to help address learning loss and to support broader social development.”
Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton said the research “highlights the lasting impact that even relatively short periods of absence can have on educational outcomes and life chances”.
“We know that attendance challenges can arise for many reasons, and it is essential that schools, families and support services continue to work together to identify difficulties early and provide the right supports at the right time,” Naughton said.
