Truancy crackdown launched
The government has announced plans today to get tough on pupils who regularly skip school as new figures reveal that truancy in the UK is continuing to rise.
According to the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), 146 secondary schools across the country are home to about 8,000 “serial truants”, against whom the government now intends to take serious action.
Figures released today show that the number of unauthorised absences now accounts for one in five days missed from schools. This represents an increase equivalent to 4,500 more pupils being out of school every day in 2004-05 than 12 months earlier.
Parents of persistent truants will be placed on a fast-track scheme, whereby they will face court prosecution if their child’s attendance record fails to improve.
A truant officer will be assigned to each family in order to work with them to improve their child’s attendance at school.
In addition, families containing persistent truants will receive support from social services to tackle any problems that might be the causes of the truancy, for example drug use or parenting skills.
While school attendance has been rising recently, with 8,000 more pupils regularly attending school in 2004-2005 than in the previous year, schools minister Jacqui Smith admits that more needs to be done to combat truancy.
“It is disappointing that a stubborn minority of pupils, estimated at 8,000 in just four per cent of secondary schools, remain determined to jeopardise their education and their futures through persistent truancy,” she said.
“While the causes of truancy are complex and challenging, we will focus on this minority who are responsible for much of unauthorised absence.”
Commenting on the new figures, NUT general secretary Steve Sinnott called on the government to “keep its nerve” in tackling the problem.
“These figures are extremely disappointing, especially given the efforts made by schools and government through the Sure Start and Every Child Matters programme,” he said.
“The government must keep its nerve in tackling these problems. There are no easy solutions to truanting.”
