Truant kids: parents facing prison?

Ministers are pressing ahead with tough new measures to crack down on the parents of truants.

Education minister Stephen Twigg has launched a new fast-track prosecution process for mothers and fathers responsible for persistent no-show pupils.

The plan will be piloted in six areas - thought to include Liverpool.

"We need to be absolutely clear about this: children cannot learn if they are truanting from school," said Twigg.

"There is also the risk that truants then drift into crime causing problems for their community and society in general."

"We need to tackle this problem as a matter of urgency, that is why we are stepping up this next phase in our fight against truancy."

Parents will be given a one term - 12 week - deadline to ensure their child regularly attends school or face prosecution.

Penalties include parenting orders, fines of up to £2500 and jail.

The new fast-track procedure will be piloted in six LEAs across England from November.

Twigg dismissed claims that the government is "scapegoating" parents for the behaviour of their children.

"Parents must also accept their share of responsibility. These measures will ensure a swifter prosecution of those parents who refuse to get their children to school," he said.

"The courts now have much tougher penalties at their disposal, including imprisonment. We brought the laws in and we expect them to be used."

"Truancy is a persistent problem and if we are serious about solving it we need to introduce some serious measures to shift entrenched patterns of behaviour."

Tories believe "yet another" crackdown misses the point.

Shadow education secretary, Damian Green, accused ministers of desperation.

"Today's announcement of yet another 'crack-down' has the air of desperation about it," he said.

"Ministers should be considering why so many young people find their school irrelevant. Improving what they can learn at school, and making it relevant to their lives, would be more effective in reducing truancy in the long term."

Estelle Morris first trailed fast track punishments for parents who allowed their kids to truant last summer.

Downing Street crime summits have linked stay-away schoolchildren to soaring street crime.

The education secretary welcomed the jailing of a single mother earlier this year.

Patricia Amos was given a 60-day term in Holloway jail for failing to make sure her daughters were attending school.

The case was the first time magistrates had passed such a sentence under tough powers granted in November 2000 and heralded a new campaign by ministers.

Teachers have welcomed the moves, but warned that measures must be applied across the board - and not just to poorer families.

National Union of Teachers chief, Douglas McAvoy also cautioned that the pilots must be properly assessed before the crackdown was extended across the country.

"Every parent has a responsibility to ensure their child attends school daily. Wealthy parents are no more immune from this legal obligation than those who are less well off," he said.

"Teachers will be under enormous pressure to deal with pupils who are returned reluctantly to school. Fast tracking of prosecutions against parents who do not ensure their children attend school may prove helpful but the pilots must be properly evaluated."

The NUT is concerned that high profile shopping centre truancy sweeps may send the wrong message in Merseyside if there are none in Knightsbridge.

"Truancy sweeps must apply equally to Harrods as well as to Woolworths," said McAvoy.

"Any other approach would send a message that only pupils from certain areas are being targeted. No pupil should be truanting whether they attend independent schools or state schools."