Truancy test

It also shows no sign of abating, with Yorkshire’s truancy rates only surpassed by those recorded at inner London schools. Yet, before Ministers consider the imposition of even more draconian sanctions, perhaps they need to consider why measures, like the imprisonment of parents of persistent truants, are not proving to be a sufficient deterrent. Is this because the LEAs, and others, do not intervene until a child’s absence from school has become endemic – or could it be that parents, and their offspring, do not sufficiently understand the importance of a sound education?

The blurring of the school holidays, with neighbouring authorities having different periods of time off, certainly does not help.

Nor does the decline in the traditional parents’ evening. Twenty years ago, all parents were expected to attend such forums to discuss their child’s academic progress – and any behavioural issues. Now teachers are pleasantly surprised if half of their class are represented at these gatherings – and the figure is even worse in those parts of Yorkshire where truancy levels have soared.

Education should always be a three-way partnership between teachers, parents and the pupils. Yet the gradual erosion of this arrangement, for whatever reason, has precipitated levels of absenteeism that are, frankly, unacceptable – and which will jeopardise the life chances of many young people. As youth unemployment soars, there is much for Ministers to ponder.