Site Quick Links

National Educational Welfare Board's Parents' Information Leaflet

The Minister for Education and Science, Ms Mary Hanafin, T.D., launched the National Educational Welfare Board’s new information leaflet for parents on the importance of school attendance and education.

Entitled “Don’t Let Your Child Miss Out!” the full colour English / Irish leaflet has been posted to over 405,000 households and over 4,000 schools. The leaflet outlines the legal role and obligations of parents in ensuring that their children receive an education together with practical tips on how they can make it easier for their children to attend and enjoy school. The new information leaflet also informs parents of the special arrangements that apply to children being educated outside of recognised schools, for example, in the home.

The NEWB leaflet also outlines practical tips for parents to help children attend and enjoy their time at school.

• Make education important in your home and let your child know it is not okay to miss school.
• Listen to your child. Be interested in his or her news about school and ask about what he or she is doing.
• Help your child to be proud of a good attendance record.
• Build your child’s confidence by praising him or her when he or she does well.
• Read letters and reports from the school and know the school rules.
• Go to school meetings and get to know the teacher, staff and your child’s friends.
• Don’t take family holidays during school term.
• Be alert for reasons why your child may not want to go to school. If your child finds school work hard, talk to the school right away.
• Encourage your child not to take on a part-time job during school term. A tired teenager will not be able to keep up at school.

In response to the growing diversity among families, the leaflet is being made available in a total of 18 languages and can be downloaded from NEWB’s website www.newb.ie. Translations in new languages will be made available as required.