I propose to take Questions Nos. 770 and 771 together.
Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) is under the remit of my Department. TESS operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. TESS has three strands namely the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS) and the two school support services the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) scheme and the School Completion Programme (SCP). The three TESS strands work together collaboratively with schools, parents and guardians and other relevant services to achieve the best educational outcomes for children and young people.
The Act provides that every child either attends school regularly or otherwise receives a certain minimum education; to ensure and secure every child’s entitlement to education. The Act defines a child as being, a person resident in the State, who has reached the age of 6 years, and who has not reached the age of 16 years or has not completed 3 years of post-primary education, whichever occurs later.
Under Section 22 of the Act, the Board of Management of each school must prepare a Statement of Strategy for School Attendance. A core part of the Statement of Strategy is to raise awareness about the importance of attendance for a student’s learning and school success and to communicate high expectations for attendance. This includes students enrolled in the school who are under six years of age.
Each school is required to have a set of attendance practices and strategies that promote good attendance among all students enrolled, including students who are under the age of six. These help to prevent poor attendance patterns from developing and can help to identify emerging attendance issues.
Any future amendments to the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, will be considered in the context of improving educational outcomes for children and young people.
