SOUTHAMPTON IS TRUANCY CAPITAL OF HAMPSHIRE - GIDLEY

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 12th May 2009

Southampton MP, Sandra Gidley has obtained new figures which confirm that the number of children playing truant within the city is more than double elsewhere in Hampshire.

The figures, obtained through a parliamentary question, revealed that since September 2006, over two hundred parents per year in Southampton have been issued penalty fines for not ensuring their child's regular attendance at school. This compares to under a hundred fines for parents living within the entire Hampshire County Council local authority.

These figures also come after recent statistics show that Southampton has a persistent truancy rate nearly twice as high as those schools within Hampshire County Council area, and almost twice as high as the English average.

Commenting today, Sandra said:

"These figures are worryingly high. The city has been labelled the 'teenage pregnancy capital of the south' - now it has become the truancy capital of the county.

"While parents need to take responsibility for their children's behaviour and have an obligation to ensure they attend school, the government's draconian strategy of fining parents is simply failing. What is needed is a more effective local approach involving parents, schools and the police.

"Extra investment to cut class sizes and provide more one-to-one support would enable teachers to work with individual children and make sure that they are engaged in the classroom."

ENDS