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Your child has a right to an education.
A good education, combined with loving care and encouragement, will give your child a great start in life. Every child aged between 6 and 16 must receive an education.
If you are a parent or guardian of a child aged between 6 and 16 this information outlines the special role you play in ensuring that your child doesn’t miss out on his or her education. It also gives you information about the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB), the agency set up to support regular school attendance and the education of children and young people.
The National Educational Welfare Board was set up under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000. Our job is to support families and make sure that every child receives an education as required by law. Almost all children do this by attending school.
What you need to know
> What you must do if your child cannot be at school
You must tell the school that your child cannot attend and say why. The school will tell you how to give them this information – usually, the school will ask for a note. Very often, there will be good reasons for a child not being in school and these will be taken into account if they are explained to the school.
> What the school must do if your child misses a lot of school
The school must tell us, the National Educational Welfare Board, if your child has missed 20 days or more in the school year or if it is concerned that your child is missing too much school.
> What we must do if your child misses a lot of school
If a school tells us that your child is missing too much school, an Educational Welfare Officer may visit you to see how we can help to make sure that your child attends school more often.
> Protecting your child’s right to an education
We will help you in whatever way we can to ensure your child gets an education. However, you can be taken to court and fined or imprisoned if you do not co-operate with the Educational Welfare Officer. Legal action will be taken in exceptional cases if it is the only way a child’s right to an education can be safeguarded.
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