28 February 2005
Pupils who skip classes are being targeted by the latest national ’sweep’ of town centres.
For the next month, teams of police and educational welfare officers will be patrolling Britain’s streets, shopping centres and known truancy hotspots, challenging young people who are out of school.
Truants will be immediately returned to the classroom or an agreed place of safety.
Ministers believe a ’stubborn hardcore’ of pupils - around two per cent - are persistently staying away from classes.
Penalty fines and fast-track prosecutions are also being used to tackle the problem.
Schools Minister Derek Twigg is warning truants and their parents that there was no excuse for deliberately missing out on education:
"Our message is that every day in school counts.’
"School attendance is at record levels with over 87,000 more pupils attending school each day than in 1997. The majority of parents are supporting schools in ensuring that their child attends regularly."
Extra information
Since they started in December 2002, the national truancy sweeps have apprehended over 31,000 truants - almost half of whom were accompanied by an adult.
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