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[14 DEC 00]
WARWICKSHIRE CONSTABULARY NEWS
Fingers
Wagged At Parents Of Truants
Nearly
50 children were stopped by police and social workers during a
two-day clampdown on truancy, and parents were often to blame for
the youngsters being out of school.
The
operation took place in Nuneaton to try and stop young people
being the victims of, or getting involved with, crime.
Police
officers and education social workers stopped children of
compulsory school age in the town centre for two afternoons last
week to see what they were doing out of lessons.
Operation
Wag saw 48 children being stopped. Of these, 45 were with a
parent, guardian or accompanying adult.
Reasons
given by parents for having their children with them instead of at
school included “being sick” that day and “the only day they
could do their Christmas shopping".
It
can be a criminal offence to fail to make a child go to school.
The three children who were out on their own had their parents
contacted, or were kept at a safe place until school-leaving time.
Truancy
is not a criminal offence in itself but police do have the powers
to return children to school or to a safe place designated by the
local authority.
John
Sullivan, principal education social worker, said:
“We
were disappointed to see so many children who were absent from
school and in the company of their parents or guardians.
“Parents
failed to recognise the impact taking their child out of school
had on their child’s education and this clearly raises the
challenge for us now of how we deliver that important message to
parents.”
He
added that there are only a few reasons why a pupil should be out
of school: travelling to a medical or dental appointment,
travelling to off-site sports, a field trip, work placement or
religious observance.
Supt
Gary Hollis said:
“This
joint agency operation was very successful. We have definite
plans to carry out similar operations in the future to ensure
children are in school when they are supposed to be and not at
risk of being drawn into minor crime.”
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