Higher rates of school absences after pandemic report into programme finds

There has been a drop in school engagement and wellbeing since before the Covid-19 pandemic, with higher rates of non-attendance and more school avoidance, a report into the School Complete Programme (SCP) has found.

It also found that half of the SCP co-ordinators are not satisfied with current staffing levels as part of the programme.

While funding for the programme has increased since 2016, it does not yet match the funding levels in place before the 2008 recession.

The new ESRI research shows the role of the SCP in supporting student attendance and engagement but highlights it also faces staffing and funding challenges.

The programme was set up to provide support for children and young people at risk of early school leaving and is part of the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) programme.

An ESRI report, funded by Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) finds that the SCP helps make attending school a more positive experience for children and young people.

The report states that the programme’s key strength lies in the skills of SCP staff in developing strong and supportive relationships with children and young people, thus enhancing their school engagement.

However, around half of co-ordinators are dissatisfied with staffing and funding.

This ESRI study draws on a survey of SCP co-ordinators as well as case-study interviews and a consultation event with SCP co-ordinators, project workers, principals, home school community liaison co-ordinators and educational welfare officers.

Each of the 121 projects covers a number of primary and post-primary, mostly DEIS, schools, a total of 783 schools nationally.

All projects provide in-school support on a one-to-one, group or whole-class basis.

One-to-one interventions are viewed by SCP and school staff as particularly effective in flexibly responding to the needs of vulnerable students.

Larger projects report greater challenges, with a higher student-staff ratio, less frequent contact between co-ordinators and key school personnel, and more time spent on administration.

More than half of co-ordinators are not satisfied with current staffing levels, with greater dissatisfaction among those in the medium and large projects.

The study findings point to greater needs among the student population, with worse school engagement and wellbeing than before the pandemic. This has led to higher rates of non-attendance and more school avoidance.

SCP and school staff point to the scale of socio-economic disadvantage evident in the project schools, often compounded by additional challenges around parental mental health, addiction and disorder in the local area.

Many report challenges in reaching enough students given the level of local need.

The study’s findings indicate strong collaborative relationships between SCP staff, principals, home school community liaison co-ordinators and educational welfare officers.

The findings of the study highlight the value of the programme as a vital support for vulnerable children and young people.

Significant changes have taken place in the programme in recent years but the study findings point to some aspects of the programme that could be further enhanced.

These include the need for clear and consistent employment structures across all projects, improved contact between projects to share good practice, a review of project boundaries to address the challenges found among large projects, and a restructured funding allocation model reflecting project size and need among the school communities.

Prof Emer Smyth, one of the report’s authors, said: “The scale and complexity of disadvantage in some areas indicates the need for school-based supports like SCP to be underpinned by adequate income support for families with children and locally-based interventions to support disadvantaged communities.”

Dr Merike Darmody, another author, said: “SCP staff frequently work with young people with mental health or other complex challenges.

“However, because of long waiting lists, it is difficult to access referral pathways to mental health and therapeutic provision for children and young people who need support.”

Aine O’Keeffe, director at Tusla Education Support Services, said: “This research builds on the previous review of the School Completion Programme carried out in 2015 by the ESRI.

“I welcome the new report which highlights the value of the programme to vulnerable children and young people, as well as the positive regard in which the programme is held by education stakeholders.

“TESS acknowledges that there are aspects of the programme that can be improved as set out in the report, and together with the Department of Education, will work to address and further enhance the programme over the coming years.”

Published: 04/03/2025 by Radio NewsHub