Behaviour tsar Charles Taylor (what a title!) has just finished reading my book and learnt that nobody gives a monkey's about Penalty Notices which are issued to the parents of children who truant. (Only half of those issued have ever been paid). http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-17705238
He therefore put on a stern face and suggested that maybe if parents can't be bothered to send their kids to school then we should take the fine out of their Benefits payments. (I'm not sure what the plan is for those who have a parent earning over £60 000, ie not eligible for child benefit). The NUT oppose the move, but don't offer any alternative solution. I'd make the parent attend school for a week alongside their child, so that they could see what the teacher has to put up with.
Maybe next week they will realise that nobody bothers doing Community Service either.
5 comments:
I think to many, a fine for absence will be seen as a reasonable fee.
You can save £hundreds on holiday costs, so a fine will seem small in comparison and permission will have been bought.
See Freakonimics' discussion of nursery late fines.
Local schools want parents to sign a contract that they will not take children out of school during term time without permission from the school. Many have agreed as long as the teachers agree not to have inset days or take industrial action during term time without permission from the parents. An interesting impasse at the moment!
Penseivat
How about this for a solution. Kids who are truant are given a fine (in hours) for the period they are out of school. To pay this fine they will have to attend extra houts at school to get credit. Keep the little blighters in school until they 'work' off the fine.
A family, Mum, Dad and two children, I know won a 4 week holiday to Australia and the only time the parents could go was during term time. One school was very happy for their pupil and gave him tasks he could do which would fit in with his itinerary. The other school refused permission and threatend to take the parents to court if they took the child out of school. Appeals to the local education authority fell on deaf ears. The family went and on their return, the school tried to prosecute. It all fell apart when the parents asked the school for a breakdown of the lessons their son had missed and they would compare this with what their son had done, seen and written about on his journey. They also stated that any dispute would be held in the full glare of publicity. School suddenly silent and then appeared in the local rag welcoming their travelling star pupil and congratulating him on the work he has produced. Cynicism, like dyslexia, rools KO.
Perhaps it would be more sensible to consider full attendance as a condition of receiving the benefit. Then if you wished to drop out you knew that you woluld not be able to get the benefit. That would stop the fine nonsense.
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