BEDFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL CRACKSDOWN ON TRUANCY

In addition to regular truancy patrols across the borough, this month, Bedford Borough Council, in partnership with Bedfordshire Police, has carried out a crackdown on children truanting from school. This latest truancy patrol found 29 pupils not in school. Children who do not have a valid reason for missing their education are returned to school, and their parents are informed.

Councillor David Sawyer, Portfolio Holder for Education, said: "We take our responsibility to educate children in the borough extremely seriously and that is why we work in partnership with the Police to carry out these patrols.

"Getting a good education is vital to the development of all our young people and that is why we work with pupils, parents and schools to ensure children go to school."

Richard Denton Bedfordshire Police Children & Young People Development Officer and Schools Co-ordinator added: "Bedfordshire Police is committed to supporting this work with our Local Policing Teams working in partnership with the Local Authority to keep truancy levels down.

"Truancy can often lead to further issues in a community, at worst resulting in young people becoming involved in crime either as a victim or an offender. This is something that we really want to avoid."

If a pupil is found to be away from school, the truancy patrol contacts the school and the reasons for not attending can be discussed. Further monitoring of pupils' attendance may be necessary in the following weeks by the School Attendance Officer and their Education Welfare Officer.

If an unaccompanied child is stopped, and they should be in school, then the truancy patrol has the power to move the child to a place of safety, such as their school.