§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to tackle truancy from schools in Northern Ireland. [148770]
§ Jane KennedyThe responsibility to ensure regular attendance at school rests primarily with parents. Where a school has concerns about a pupil's attendance, a referral can be made to the Education Welfare Service. An officer will normally visit the home to assess the situation and then determine appropriate follow up action based on the underlying reasons for poor attendance.
The Department of Education has recently made funds available to the Education aid Library Boards for a computerised database for the Education Welfare Service aimed, among other things, at tracking and monitoring pupils whose attendance is a cause for concern. In addition a pilot project aimed at promoting the habit of regular attendance at an early age is currently under way in a number of primary schools. Following a full evaluation of this project the Department will consider if it could usefully be extended to other schools.