Truancy crackdown catches pupils out

A SEASONAL truancy sweep caught dozens of schoolchildren out shopping with their parents.

The crackdown, carried out during normal school hours, saw 50 stops made and five pupils returned home.

Oldham Council’s school attendance improvement service took to the streets with police in a bid to catch out children skipping school.

Officers patrolled the town centre during normal school hours. They stopped any young person believed to be of school age, whether accompanied by an adult or not.

No on-the-spot fines were given but parents whose children are caught truanting can face a penalty notice of £50 per pupil, per parent.

Service manager Michelle Vaughan said: “The truancy sweep found an astonishing number of primary school-aged children out Christmas shopping with their parents.

“They had told their school that they were too unwell to attend.

“This is a massive concern, as the parents are neglecting their legal responsibility and their children are missing out on education.”

Councillor Kay Knox, Cabinet member for children, young people and families, said: “Failing to attend school regularly can have a major impact on the education and future opportunities of young people.”

The truancy sweep marks the launch of the council’s code of conduct for issuing penalty notices for parents of children found in a public place during the first five days of exclusion.

This is a joint drive, which most authorities in Greater Manchester are carrying out.