While some of what children learn in primary school might seem elementary, this important time helps build the key academic skills that will form the bedrock of the rest of their educational journey.
That is why it is so important they attend as often as possible. But over the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years, school attendance rates in Northern Ireland have fallen to their worst levels on record. The BBC reports that about 30% of pupils across each of the two school years had “chronic” or “severe chronic” absence rates - significantly higher than in England or Wales.
We’ve taken a look at the latest attendance figures from the Department of Education published in January, which cover state-funded schools in the most recently-ended 2023/24 school year. After earlier looking into the country’s top secondary schools, we’ve now used this data to work out which state primary schools in Northern Ireland had the highest attendance rates over the last academic year.
Many smaller rural or village primary schools excelled. While some larger town and city schools also made the list, it is worth noting that it can sometimes be trickier for them to keep attendance rates high, due to higher numbers of pupils overall.
The data showed attendance rates as low as 71.1% at some primary schools in the last school year, meaning the absence rate was a whopping 28.9%. But children can miss school for many reasons, and alarmingly, the data also showed schools with unauthorised absence rates as high as 16.3%. NI Direct - the official government website for Northern Ireland citizens - says that going to school regularly is important for a child's future, with the benefits of regular school attendance including better exam performance - and eventually, job prospects. It also helps young people develop friendships, social skills, team values, life skills, and cultural awareness. Parents are legally responsible for making sure their children go to school, and if they don’t, they could face fines or prosecution.
Here were the primary schools that did especially well in the last school year, when it came to children showing up for class:
1. Queen Elizabeth II Primary School, Kilskeery
Coming out on top this year is a village primary school in Kilskeery, County Tyrone. In the 2023/24 school year, it had a spectacular attendance rate of 97.4%. | Google
2. St Peter's & St Paul's Primary School, Dungiven
St Peter’s & St Paul’s is a Catholic primary school in the Foreglen area, near Dungiven, in County Londonderry/Derry. In the 2023/24 school year, it also had an excellent attendance rate of 97.3%. | Google
3. St Paul's Primary School, Ahoghill
St Paul’s is a Catholic primary school in Ahoghill, County Antrim. In the 2023/24 school year, it had a great attendance rate of 97.2%. | Google
4. Augher Central Primary School
This is a primary school in Augher, County Tyrone. In the 2023/24 school year, it too had an attendance rate of 97.2%. | Google