Number of parents prosecuted over school truancy quadruples

The figures, released in response to a parliamentary question, show that 1,961 parents were prosecuted in court over truancy in 2001. This figure soared to 9,506 in 2008.

In the same period, the number of unauthorised absences from school also increased albeit at a much slower rate. In 2001, 0.72 per cent of half-school days were missed due to unauthorised absence but this figure rose to just over one per cent in 2008.

There were 232,810 pupils classified as persistent absentees in England in 2008.

John Bangs, head of education at the National Union of Teachers, warned that punitive measures rarely encourage parents to ensure their children go to school.

"There is no magic solution to truancy, because it's often the result of massive pressure and dysfunction in families," he said. "Truancy can only be prevented by addressing that pressure and dysfunction."

Bangs added that the cutting back of education welfare services had made it more difficult for schools to prevent truancy. He called on local authorities to reinvest in the services.

"Education welfare officers are so important," he said. "I would love to see more of them. Their work has sometimes gone unnoticed but they are brilliant at detecting problems."

Jenny Price, president of The Association for Education Welfare Management, said many more education welfare professionals are needed to work with families to find practical solutions to truancy.

"There is a focus on punitive measures without the appropriate work to actually back up these families," she warned.

But John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, argued that prosecutions had been used too little in the past to tackle the issue of truancy.

He said: "At last, local authorities and the police are prepared to fully support schools in reducing the number of truants. About time too."

The Department for Children, Schools and Families was unable to comment as CYP Now went to press.