A total of 30 court convictions were secured against parents in Ireland last year due to the poor school attendance records of their children.

Taken by the National Educational Welfare Board - which was set up in 2002 under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 - these cases illustrate the importance of parents making sure their kids go to school on a regular basis and only miss lessons when there is a valid reason for doing so.

In one instance, the mother of a 15-year-old girl who missed more than 60 per cent of the school days she should have attended over a period of ten weeks pleaded guilty to breaching a school attendance notice, the Irish Times reports.

The case was heard at Limerick District Court and saw the parent's solicitor requesting the case be adjourned to allow the pupil to make significant improvements in her attendance.

Judge Eugene O'Kelly explained a notable increase in the girl's attendance could have an influence on the decision of the court and agreed to adjourn the case until April 5th.

Written by Donal Walsh

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