A headteacher has claimed that a new registration system introduced at his school contributed to a rise in truancy figures.
In September, the school introduced truancy call, which is an electronic system where parents receive a phone message if their child is late or absent.
In school league tables published last month, John Bramston School, Witham, finished bottom of the truancy list in the Braintree district with an absence rate of 7.1 per cent. The figure is well above the 2.5 per cent figure the school recorded in 2003. The county average of one per cent.
Headteacher Ted Rowley said: "The new electronic registration system has highlighted the problem. A particular issue has been pupils arriving in school well after the register has closed, sometimes an hour late, with no good reason. This has pushed the figures up."
A spokesman for the Department of Education and Skills said: "Our national behaviour and attendance strategy launched in December is investing a record £470 million over three years to give comprehensive support to help schools and local education authorities tackle truancy."
More in today's Evening Gazette
Published Thursday, February 3, 2005
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