Truancy shocker as parents take kids shopping

MORE than 70 truants swapping school for Christmas shopping were caught in  a three-day swoop across the borough—and almost of all them were with their parents.

A team of 15 police and four education welfare officers patrolled Clifton Park and the streets of Eastwood, Dinnington, Parkgate and Rotherham town centre during the mission to round up absentee pupils and return them home or to school.

They caught 71, 67 of whom were accompanied by parents or carers.

Unaccompanied youngsters were detained by police while officers established whether they should have been in school. Excuses for skipping lessons included winter bugs and dental appointments.

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Truants and parents were advised that children well enough to be outdoors on a winter morning would be better off in the warmth of a classroom.

Nikki Humphries, service manager for education and welfare at Rotherham Borough Council, said: “It’s the first one we have widely co-operated on with the police, which has been very successful. We used to have a dedicated team, but the funding and approach changed when patrols were deregulated and left to local authorities.

“It’s worrying that most of those stopped were with adults and that these children were not well enough to attend school but not too ill to be out in the town centre. And there will always be some just out shopping."

Council truancy staff sent letters to all of those stopped during the week, asking parents to work with them on improving school attendance.

Those children whose welfare was thought to be at risk will be monitored by council case workers.

The council prosecuted 48 parents last year for not sending children to school regularly, but only after 16-week intervention programmes failed to change their behaviour.