To ask the Minister of Education what actions his Department is taking to reduce the level of school absence amongst children who are entitled to free school meals.

It is clear from recent statistics that pupil absence is a significant challenge for all pupils. For pupils in receipt of free school meals, attending school regularly can be even more challenging and the Department, the Education Authority and schools have a range of measures in place to support pupils.

In addition to DE’s “Miss School. Miss Out Strategy” published in 2016, the Department published “The Challenge of Improving Pupil Attendance at School - Case Studies paper” in November 2018 followed by Absence Tiers Guidance in September 2022 to encourage schools to monitor and report on pupil attendance using Absence Tiers.

The latter helps schools to look at the level of absence within a school in a more nuanced way than simply reporting a percentage present figure or percentage absent figure. This enables schools to work with pupils by encouraging them to progress through the various tiers and setting realistic goals to cope with individual circumstances. Boards of Governors have also been encouraged to use this approach in addition to their current practice.