Nine-year-old West Cork boy only attended school for three days in academic year, court hears

A nine-year-old-boy who is enrolled in a primary school in West Cork only attended school for three days in the last academic year Bandon District Court was told when the boy’s father was brought to court on foot of an arrest warrant.

Laura Sheehan, solicitor for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency said there were serious concerns that the child who lives with his parents and one younger sibling in West Cork was not receiving education of the requisite standard.

She said that despite numerous attempts by the agency to contact the family by various means including registered post the boy’s parents had not responded.

Ms Sheehan said that it was a legal requirement for the child to attend the school where he is enrolled or to be properly registered for home schooling if that was his parent’s choice.

She said that as a result of non-communication from the family neither of the two options were currently being adhered to and the child had not attended school for virtually all of the last academic year which was “a very serious issue.”

The boy’s father told the court that he and his wife did not want the child to be taught religion in school and despite this request his son was “asked to pray with the other children.”

He said that the family had withdrawn the child from school and were now homeschooling him.

Education welfare officer Helen Mitchell told the court that for a child to be homeschooled they must legally be registered with Tusla under Section 14 of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000. She said that the family were contacted about this on several occasions but did not respond. She added that a minimum criteria must be met for homeschooling which included a visit to the family home by an assessor. Ms Mitchell said that the boy had not been registered for home schooling and had not attended the school where he is enrolled either.

Judge Joanne Carroll told the boy’s father he was entitled to homeschool his son but he must be properly registered if that was the family’s preferred option. 

She said: 

“Since you were contacted last November your child has not been registered and now it’s eight months on and he is still not registered. The bottom line is your child has not been registered for homeschooling and has not been in school all year.”

The judge told the boy’s father he must “deal with it” and get the boy registered and assessed for homeschooling in time for the next school year.

He was remanded on bail on a €200 cash bond to appear again on September 12 by which time he was expected to regularise his son’s educational status.

• This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.