TRUANCY

Derby College is using a text messaging sytem to fight truancy and improve communication with 2,500 students with the aim of improving the college retention rate by 1%. Under the scheme, students who do not show up for class will be sent a text message if they do not show up within 30 minutes of the lesson starting. A message will be sent to the parents or guardian of any students who are under 18 - if they fail to respond. Some students have expressed concerns about the Big Brother aspect of the system - and say they do not like the idea of being "watched" all the time.

But the college says the idea is to provide more information to the students in a convenient fashion. The college will use text messages to tell students and parents about day-to-day college information such as timetable details, assignment due dates, parents' evenings and college events. The students or parents will be able to respond to messages and explain any absences - either before or after class. This information will be automatically forwarded to the appropriate tutor who will follow it up.

The college, which has 27,000 students across three sites, plans to encourage student co-operation by offering incentives such as free ring tones. It will also congratulate learners on their achievements. Students who do not have their own phones may be supplied with one under the programme, but almost 95% of students already have one, the college says. Derby College will finance the scheme with a £230,000 grant from the Treasury that is offered for innovative initiatives to enhance public services.

"If we contact a student or carer on the same day of the absence then we've got a much better chance of identifying a problem and resolving it," says Graham Golding, head of research at Derby College. "It has an inclusive, student-centred approach, which involves students in the design process and enables them to tailor the service - in consultation with their mentor - through a personal web page. The messaging system will start with a pilot involving business students in February 2004, and a final roll-out is expected in September 2004.

Parents caught with a child out of school could face an on-the-spot fine of up to £100. A government consultation proposes fixed penalty notices of between £25 and £100 if the children are out of their classes without permission. The fines could be imposed by head teachers, police or council officers in England. The plans are meant as an instant reinforcement for existing laws which can mean parents being jailed for three months. Official statistics show that more than a fifth of England's secondary school students (21%) are absent from school without permission at some point in the year, on average for 15 half-day school sessions.

Fifteen per cent of primary school pupils were away, for eight half days on average. The government estimates that about 50,000 children truant every day, and those picked up on "truancy sweeps" are often with their parents. Failure to secure regular school attendance of a registered pupil is already a criminal offence for parents. They can face fines of £2,500 each or three months in jail. The government wants the fixed penalties to work as a quick "sharp reminder" to parents of their responsibilities. Recently, more parents have been sent to jail over truancy in an attempt to crack down on the problem.

PROPOSED TRUANCY FINES
£25 - Parent agrees absence unauthorised and pays in 14 days

£50 - Parent does not agree absence was unauthorised and pays in 14 days or Parent agrees absence was unauthorised and pays in 28 days

£100 - Parent does not agree absence was unauthorised and pays in 28 days

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