Eight areas have been chosen for a trial fast track scheme to prosecute the parents of persistent truants.

The move came as education minister Ivan Lewis unveiled a national poster campaign ahead of the next series of national truancy sweeps.

Tougher penalties have already been imposed, including fines of up to £2500 and jail sentences.

However, in the London borough of Tower Hamlets and in Birmingham, Newcastle, Wakefield, Blackpool, North East Lincolnshire, Thurrock and Sandwell, prosecutions will be made quicker.

Another 13 local education authorities will be involved in the trials later next year.

The measures came in response to findings from a sweep in May that 83 per cent of primary schoolchildren and 26 per cent of secondary schoolchildren were with their parents when caught truanting.

According to the Department for Education and Skills, one million children representing 15 per cent of all pupils miss at least one day of school without permission.

"Truancy has remained a scourge of our education system for too long. What starts as 'bunking off' the occasional lesson can spiral to missing out on vital stages in a child's education. This feeds into a cycle of underachievement and disaffection which can lead to crime and drug and alcohol misuse," said Lewis.

"As a government we are determined to tackle this but if we are going to make a real difference it is absolutely vital that parents also shoulder their share of responsibility.

"We have to work together to ensure that our children receive the education they deserve. Quite simply, children who truant are missing out on school, damaging their prospects and exam results - and causing problems in shops and precincts."