Truancy prosecutions for parents up by a quarter, say new figures

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “While councils will support parents as much as possible, if they refuse to get their children to school, fines may be issued and ultimately court action will be taken,” said David Simmonds for the Local Government Association. “We believe the rise in court action and fines issued reflects a rapidly rising school population and tighter enforcement by schools that are under pressure from Ofsted to meet attendance targets.” Parenting group Netmums said that in some cases, a fine or threat of jail can be enough to make a parent understand the seriousness of their child missing school but warned - in many others - truancy was a more complicated issue and families may need more support rather than court action. Kevin Courtney, deputy general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, added: “There can be many reasons why a child or young person is not at school but truanting arising from complex problems will bed better tackled by dealing with the cause rather than imposing fines or imprisonment on families who may already face significant difficulties.” The figures show that 9, 214 of those found guilty were issued with fines - on average having to pay £172. Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Good attendance is absolutely critical to the education and future prospects of young children.” Those with good attendance records were far more likely to achieve five A* to C grades at GCSE.