26/02/2004

Parents of truant pupils face fines from tomorrow

Parents of truants could be fined up to £100 from tomorrow for failing to get their child into school.

The fine - to be imposed as an alternative to prosecution - is part of a package of powers to tackle misbehaviour in schools and anti-social behaviour on the streets. Local education authorities, youth offending teams, police and the courts will be able to use the new measures.

The powers also include counselling or parenting classes for parents having specific problems with their child's behaviour as part of a voluntary parenting contract.

Parents who are "unwilling to make the effort" to improve their child's behaviour could be fined up to £1,000. The fine would be levied for a breach of a legally binding parenting order from a Magistrates' Court.

The powers expand the range of options available to offer support to help parents change the anti-social behaviour of their children.

Education Minister Ivan Lewis said parents must "play their part" in ensuring that their child attends school.

"Where parents are unable to fulfil their responsibilities, parenting contracts will provide them with the professional support they need and focus on what needs to be done to improve their child's attendance or behaviour," he said.

"However, where parents are simply unwilling to fulfil their responsibilities, it must be right that society demands legal sanctions, and penalty notices for truancy will provide due accountability."

Sweeps have shown that half of all truants apprehended by police are accompanied by their parents.

(gmcg)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

11 February 2010
Boost For Lone Parent Job Seekers
Thousands of lone parents will get extra help to attain training and work experience while their children are at nursery school, the Government announced today. Those who work less than 16 hours a week will also be able to keep £50 of their wages before losing any benefits, Work Secretary Yvette Cooper said.
03 October 2003
Parents face £100 fines for truant children
Parents could face fines of up to £100 if their children persistently play truant from school, according to a consultation paper published today. Guidance to ensure effective use of new powers to tackle criminal and anti-social behaviour, and truancy and misbehaviour in schools, has been published for consultation today.
28 January 2009
Consultation To End Child Poverty, Launched
The Government has today set out plans to make sure every child gets the best start in life by tackling child poverty, which can unfairly hold children back and prevent them reaching their full potential.
26 March 2013
Study Finds No Link Between TV And Bad Behaviour
A study of some 11,000 primary school pupils has found that there is no link between watching hours of TV or playing video games, and bad behaviour. The Medical Research Council (MRC) team who carried out the study says it is wrong to link bad behaviour to TV viewing.
15 August 2014
Two Arrested During Search For Missing Brothers
Two people have been arrested by police searching for three brothers missing since Monday. It is now known that the brothers, Remus (15), Janko (12) and David (10), caught a train to Newcastle while their foster parents thought they were out for a bike ride on Monday evening. The brothers were seen on CCTV leaving Newcastle's Central Station.