On the fast track to nowhere

Truancy has increased, despite a raft of sanctions against
parents. But before schools minister David Milliband gets even
tougher, he should read his department’s evaluation of the
Fast Track to Prosecution programme. Its failure to make a
long-term impact was because “entrenched non-attendance was often
associated with other issues within the family situation” – complex
problems which won’t be resolved by punishment.