04 July 2003
Threatening to prosecute parents has caused a marked reduction in classroom truancy, the government claimed this week.
Figures from the Department for Education and Skills on July 2 showed that of 1,490 cases under the new 'fast-track' procedure since January, more than half - 751 - resulted in children returning to school without the need for a prosecution.
Education minister Ivan Lewis said: 'For those parents who deliberately condone or encourage their child's truancy, the message is clear - prosecution works. We make no apologies for encouraging local education authorities to prosecute parents who are simply unwilling to fulfil their legal and moral obligations.'
PFjul2003