Move to confront truancy stepped up

Measures to improve behaviour and attendance at schools, including
additional truancy sweeps and electronic registration schemes, have
been announced.

Phase two of the behaviour improvement programme will dedicate
£1.4m this financial year for 600 schools in 27 local
education authorities (LEAs) to plan and implement measures to
tackle truancy and bad behaviour.

Minister for young people Ivan Lewis said: “Tackling truancy and
bad behaviour in our schools is crucial to improving levels of
attainment for all pupils, improving their life chances and
improving our communities as a whole.”

Under the programme, LEAs will be given funds to develop measures
that could include behaviour and education support teams to
identify and provide intensive multi-agency support to children who
are at risk of developing social or behavioural problems.

To address the problem of children staying away from school there
will be truancy sweeps, attendance audits and school-based
educational welfare officers. Learning mentors might be appointed
to help pupils overcome problems affecting their learning. And
electronic registration systems would confirm the attendance of
each pupil and could reduce unauthorised absence rates by up to 10
per cent.

The programme is a key part of the £470m national behaviour
and attendance strategy.