School absence has a dramatic affect on teenagers’ grades – and their futures as young adults.
Research from the Economic and Social Research Institute and Tusla shows even one or two days’ absence from school at age 13 can lead to lower Leaving Cert Grades.
It shows a chronic absence of 20 days or more, can result in a gap of over 80 Leaving Cert points.
Emer Smyth, Research Professor with the ESRI and co-author of the report, says school absences can even affect students who themselves have good attendance.
“Well, young people are affected by their peers. If there’s a high prevalence of chronic absence in the school, it’s going to disrupt the pace of teaching and learning and even if the young person themselves has good attendance, if they’re in a school with very high levels of absence, they tend to do worse than they’re leaving the search and they’re less likely to go on to take a degree.”
