§ Mr. Greg KnightTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what further steps he proposes to tackle truancy. [179904]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisPromoting regular school attendance is a key component in the Government's strategy to raise educational standards. Tackling truancy, in particular, also contributes to the Government's objectives to reduce street crime and antisocial behaviour.
The Department for Education and Skills will continue to promote a full range of measures to raise attendance and reduce truancy including:
strengthening schools' capacity to manage attendance through audit and training materials and consultancy provided through the Key Stage 3 and Primary Strategies;providing intensive support for schools facing the greatest challenges through the Behaviour Improvement Programme;co-ordinating further national programmes of truancy sweeps, to generate local publicity and deter parentally condoned absencesnational rollout of the "Fast-track" case management system the aim of which is to ensure that schools and LEAs deal with attendance cases quickly and in the most effective way to get the child back into school;the introduction of new parenting contracts to enable schools and LEAs to engage earlier and more effectively with parents of children who are truanting. But where parents are unwilling to accept such voluntary and supportive measures we have introduced penalty notices for truancy as a speedy alternative to prosecution.These measures indicate the Department's focus on truancy as a high priority for improvement.