Police target truants

COUNCIL chiefs have teamed up with the police to crack down on truancy.

Oldham Council and Greater Manchester Police have set up a special panel to act as a “last chance saloon” before parents face prosecution over the regular truancy of their children.

It will be made up of council and police officers with the aim of bringing home the serious consequences of truanting and the legal implications for parents.

Councillor Kay Knox, Cabinet member for children, young people and families, said: “Truanting is illegal and it is the responsibility of parents to ensure that their children attend school. If they do not, they could end up in court being fined or receiving a custodial sentence.

“This is not, however, a situation that the council want to be in and a great deal of work is done with parents and children before it gets to this stage.

“This joint panel is a way in which we can give parents and children a clear and unambiguous final warning that their attendance needs to improve or the consequences will be serious.

“Since it was set up in June, of the 23 children who have been before the panel, 21 have improved their attendance considerably.

“This 91 per cent success rate is excellent news and a clear indication of the work the council is doing to improve attendance and attainment in its schools.”