Schools minister Jacqui Smith unveiled the new measures last week afterfigures revealed that the average number of pupils missing school eachday had risen by 0.2 per cent.
She blamed a hardcore of 8,000 truants at 146 schools for a fifth of alltruanting. She revealed that schools had been told to identify theirmost persistent truants and to place their parents on the "fast track toattendance" scheme.
Under this scheme, which has already been made available to localauthorities, parents have 12 weeks to ensure their child's attendanceimproves. If it does not, then parents face a fine of up to 2,500or three months' imprisonment.
Smith said the Government was committed to "sanctions such asprosecution and penalty fines for those parents who are simply unwillingto get their children to school".
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