Truancy

Britain, UK news from The Times and The Sunday Times :

"In spite of the Government spending �1 billion on initiatives tackling absenteeism since 1997, the annual number of pupils playing truant from school has soared by 43 per cent. Jacqui Smith, the Schools Minister, said that school attendance was higher than ever, with fewer children going sick or taking term-time holidays, but said that she was disappointed that a “stubborn minority” of teenagers were skipping school. “Schools are treating absenteeism more rigorously, challenging questionable reasons for absence and cracking down on unnecessary time out of school,” she said."

It's happening here and it's happening there...is it a global trend? Kids disappearing? Schools trying to keep them there but kids not being there? I see it as a parent responsibility. When I dropped children at school it was accepted they were there to stay for the day. Full stop, end of story. Parents create that expectation. "Channel surfing" mentality with regard to education needs to be stamped out immediately. Bums on seats and kids in classrooms. Suffer , I say. We had to!!