City's absent pupil shame

Exclusive Yakub Qureshi

April 19, 2007

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TRUANCY: Worst record in the country.

A HARDCORE of 3,300 Manchester schoolchildren skip lessons for an average of 16 weeks a year, we can reveal today.

The city has the worst truancy rate and one of the worst records for education in the country.

Yet there are at least 1,400 educational support workers charged with improving education in the city - including 54 truancy administrators.

The attendance figures, which come as the council tries to recruit its FIFTH education chief in two years, show for the first time exactly how many pupils are not getting regular schooling.

Problem

Education bosses have long accepted attendance is a problem in Manchester and a range of measures have been brought in.

The M.E.N. can reveal that 122 parents received a court summons last year, more than double the previous year.

In a third of cases, the attendance of children involved improved as a result of legal action.

There were 131 £50 penalty notices issued as an early warning to parents, but only a quarter of the fines were paid. The rest were prosecuted.

Persistent absence is defined as missing more than 31 days of school every year. In Manchester, the average for persistent absentees is 78 days out of the 192-day school calendar.

'Persistent'

Of Manchester's 24,000 secondary pupils, a hardcore of 3,300 are deemed persistent offenders. They accounted for almost half the days missed through truancy and authorised absence.

The city is again at the bottom of the national table for truancy, with 3.3 per cent of classroom time lost through unauthorised absenteeism - twice the national average of 1.4 per cent.

Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Alison Firth said Manchester had failed to get a grip on the problem. She said: "Lots of money has been invested, yet Manchester is still doing terribly compared to other areas of the country."

Kieran McDermott, deputy chief education officer, said efforts were now being focused on the schools and the youngsters with the worst attendance problems. He said: "While we are aware of the small hardcore of pupils persistently absent from school, latest figures show that overall attendance is improving."

Manchester council leader Richard Leese said: "Education results in Manchester are improving faster than the national average and we are determined that still more improvements will be made."

SEE ALSO:

* M.E.N. Comment: Council must act

* Council: Children are our priority

* WHY can't 1,400 staff solve the problem?

* CONCERN over education department's direction

HOW should we tackle Manchester's truancy shame? Have your say.

Articles

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Mike Davies (19/04/2007 at 09:29)

I say we leave them to truant. No point forcing these sullen troublemakers into class to ruin everyone else's education.

Ace Riley (19/04/2007 at 09:35)

Starrt by making the parents responsible for the child (jail the parent) i see kids as young as 5/6 walking the streets late at night so how do they expect kids to get up for school? jail the parents for a week at a time or make the parent pay a daily fine (taken out of their income daily)

Ms D, Manchester (19/04/2007 at 10:45)

I have to agre with Ace on this one. It's the poarent's responsibility to ensure their children go to school. Too many so called parents don't care, so why should their children ?

Allowing it to continue just ensures a benefits future for these kids and that cycle has to be broken.

marc (19/04/2007 at 11:11)

can't say i agree with you there ace. criminalising the parents doesn't help.

Mike S, Manchester (19/04/2007 at 11:13)

I work in the city centre and when I pop into town at lunchtime, you always see kids of school age wandering around.

There are usually police around too, but no-one ever seems to confront them to see why they're not in school. No wonder the rates of truancy are so high.

Colin W, Stockholm (19/04/2007 at 12:14)

jail and sterilise the parents, and sterilise the kids too to improve the genepool. Eugenics has its advantages

Angry of New Moston, New Moston (19/04/2007 at 12:18)

Doesn't Mike Davies realise that it's truanting kids who do a lot of housebreaking during the day. No, I say force em to go.

edwards (19/04/2007 at 12:38)

there's always been children who dont/wont go to school and it has always been the troublemakers. jailing parents? what is that going to achieve? In the main delinquent children are the result of delinquent parents. No doubt the government will come up some type of award scheme to get them into school, another kick in the face for the kids who do go regularly. well at least that will get them ready for real life where crime does - and is shown to- pay.

Robbin Hoodie, Chorlton (19/04/2007 at 13:03)

Take the fines straight out of the parents benefit.

gato (19/04/2007 at 14:00)

Let them continue, They are the unteachables. Whilst they are absent it gives the other kids a chance to learn.

ace, manchester (19/04/2007 at 14:25)

marc
I should expect that answer from you? Its like when dogs bite people "you are the type to say its not the owners fault" The country is in the mess its in because of people like you marc.Leave it to other people to sort your problems out.....

Lou Lou (19/04/2007 at 14:32)

the reason they are not interested in school is because they know they can live pretty well on benefits like mum and dad. There is no need to work hard anymore. Stop giving out benefits and make them have to get a job, maybe then they'll take an interest in school again.

marc (19/04/2007 at 15:05)

i'm nothing like that at all ace. you've made a huge assumption about me from two sentences. i know how hard it is to get my kids into school but go they do. some parents aren't capable or caring enough to make sure their kids go. all i'm saying is that i don't see what sending them to prison will achieve...the kid in question will then have no parent whatsoever and get worse. as for the comment about dogs....my niece was mauled by one last year so watch what you say mate.

Steve Millward (19/04/2007 at 15:48)

Under the section of this piece entitled 'Why can't 1400 staff solve the problem', you refer to careers advisers. In fact the City Council has not employed careers advisers since 1995.

teresa (19/04/2007 at 16:05)

if the kids dont go to school, open up a boot camp and make them go there, also open another one for all the parents coz they r as bad as the kids!!!!!

ace, manchester (19/04/2007 at 16:33)

Marc yes i know your not like that "so watch what you say mate" Taht sounds like a threat? could i be wrong again.

alix, manchester (19/04/2007 at 16:55)

fine the parents and give the kids the option, school or army i know which i would have prefered

James Salmon (Salfordian) (19/04/2007 at 18:19)

1400 staff for 3300 hardcore truants and Manchester still has the worst attendance scores.What are the taxpayers paying for?
An independent commission should be appointed to look into why these 1400 staff members are not effective.

David,North Manchester (19/04/2007 at 18:52)

Manchester City centre really looks the part but once you venture into the into the inercity areas it is infested with scumbags,parents,lone girls and the bad influences of many grandparents bringing up children,not everybody is like this but the "good" people seem to go with the flow. Its always Manchester that is the worst place in the country for all the negative things.

shady, Rochdale (19/04/2007 at 21:29)

This is typical of any funding funding that the Government grants thousands go on buerocrocy and very little actually benefits the purpose. This is typical and is an absolute disgrace how can they employ so many with obviously no results

LookingForLogic, Stockport (19/04/2007 at 22:50)

This is just the tip of the iceberg, i know of schools who continue to mark kids as attending even though they have not been, in some cases for years. When it's picked up on by the relevant people & referrrals are made you often find that the parents have been trying to access help to get their child back into school & have not recieved anything other than fob-offs from the people who are being paid to 'help' them.
Still, it is getting better, just not quickly enough for many of the young people who reach 16 with no other plans than to get their own council flat & live off benefits.

Jim from Canada, Toronto Canada (21/04/2007 at 02:18)

Considering the fact that this topic is on education, the spelling and grammar is atrocious!!
Did you skip that class?

Robert Dowling (21/04/2007 at 12:21)

Require their parents to attend school for the number of days missed by each student. This may result in a better educated parent population. It will also keep some of the parents out of the pub or racetrack. The loss of income for those working will engender a new meaning of the "value" of education. It may also develop some parental interest in the activities of the children for which they should be taking responsibility.

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