§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the implementation of the report of the social exclusion unit on truancy and school exclusions published in May 1998. [5895]
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§ The Deputy Prime MinisterThe Department for Education and Skills has lead responsibility for implementing the report, together with other interested departments.
A major investment has been made in supporting schools to tackle truancy and exclusion. The target for reducing permanent exclusions by a third has been achieved a year early. A second target to ensure all pupils excluded from school for more than 15 school days would receive suitable full-time education is on course to be achieved on time by September 2002.
Measures on truancy are taking longer to show results. However, schools and police now have a very full range of powers and resources to tackle the problem, including
a higher level penalty for parents who fail to ensure their children attend school regularly;learning mentors through the Excellence in Cities initiative; andan extra £11.25 million on electronic registration systems for over 500 schools over the next two years: andpowers to pick up truants.The Government are reinforcing this by
setting school-level targets for schools with truancy levels more than 3 per cent. above average; andencouraging every local education authority and police authority to carry out regular 'truancy sweeps' to pick up young people who are not in school.