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The Fast Track scheme to reduce school truancy improves attendance in half of cases where it is used, but improvements are mostly temporary, according to new Government research.

A DfES study looked at 12 local education authorities that deployed Fast Track, which gives parents 12 weeks to ensure that their child attends school regularly, or face prosecution.

School attendance increased for about half of 484 cases, but after the family left the programme, attendance declined in 56 per cent of cases and improved in 37 per cent.

There was an average increase of half a day a week back in school per child during Fast Track, but after the scheme ended, about half of the improvement in attendance rates disappeared.

Meeting with parents, letters and pastoral support seemed to make the scheme more effective, but home visits and panel attendances were associated with fewer improvements in attendance.

Fast track was noted as possibly more effective in cases of less severe, newly emerging non-attendance, where complex social issues did not affect the family.

Entrenched non-attendance was often associated with other issues within

the family situation, and Fast Track was seen as less effective here.

The study also finds that LEAs implementing the scheme thought that the workload was a problem.

Study is at: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/programmeofresearch/index.cfm?type=5&x=49&y=13