§ 15. Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the correlation between truancy rates and teaching standards.
§ Mr. ForthMany factors contribute to truancy, some of them outside the immediate control of schools. However, evidence from Office for Standards in Education inspections and other research suggests that there may be factors in pupils' classroom experience which contribute to the disaffection of some pupils and encourage them to stay away from school.
§ 26. Mr. EvennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to cut down truancy.
§ Mr. ForthThe Department is currently supporting expenditure of some £9.6 million in 71 English local education authorities under the reducing truancy programme of the grants for education support and training —GEST—scheme 1993–94. The programme will be extended in 1994–95 to include a "Truancy Watch" component as a means of promoting community involvement. Approved projects will be announced shortly.