Contact Group calls for schools and parents to work together to tackle truancy
In response to the truancy statistics released today that show an increase in levels of truancy in the UK, Stephen Clarke, Managing Director of Contact Group (www.the-contactgroup.com) comments:
“The statistics released today show that the government’s stern approach to tackling truancy and improving attendance in schools is proving to be effective. With a minor increase of 0.1 per cent in unauthorised absence, schools and parents must ensure that they continue to work together to deal with truancy.
“Recent news reports have stated that the government plans to improve attendance figures by increasing fines for parents of those who truant and by banning term time holidays. While fines for parents have been in operation for some time, this message emphasises a specific focus on improving attendance and the significance of truancy on the government agenda. This announcement sends the message loud and clear to schools and parents that this is an issue that needs to be dealt with. It is now up to schools and parents to work together to achieve this, but how do they do this?
“Latest statistics show that more than 9,000 parents were convicted for allowing their children to skip school, tripling in the past nine years. In order for parents to deal with truancy and avoid being confronted with a hefty fine or criminal record, it is imperative that parents are alerted in the first instance that their child does not arrive at school, enabling them to address the situation immediately. The lines of communication between school and parents are crucial and schools must guarantee that parents are offered an optimum service, enabling them to work together to reduce absenteeism.
“Charlie Taylor, a behavioural expert who is leading Michael Gove’s review of discipline and attendance, has said that schools need to be more robust in their approaches to truancy and also encouraged the tracking of attendance to start at an earlier age. It is up to schools to implement the relevant resources to enforce this and ensure that children are where they should be: in school, learning. Further to Mr. Taylor’s comments and with many educational establishments becoming academies and therefore more accountable, it has never been more important to invest in technologies that enable schools to monitor attendance and alert parents of instances of truancy. Truancy Call is the most comprehensive product on the market to address this and sends a clear message that truancy will not be tolerated. The system can make calls and send text notifications on their behalf, in order to alert parents immediately and catch potentially persistent truants early before it gets serious.”
About Truancy Call:
Truancy Call is Contact Group’s award-winning parental communications solution, which significantly reduces the administrative burden on schools by allowing them to make first-day contact with parents of absent students via email, SMS text and automated phone call. Parents can respond directly using the same channels, enabling schools to obtain instant feedback.
Used by over 2000 primary and secondary schools in the UK and Ireland, Truancy Call helps to safeguard children’s welfare and prevent them slipping through the net, by continuing to make contact with parents until they have provided a reason for their child’s absence.
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