Parents of children who regularly skip school will be handed fixed fines of up to £120, Education Minister Leighton Andrews has said.
The announcement comes after a 12-week public consultation which ended in February with the fines being introduced from September 1 this year.
Under the proposals, previously published, local authorities would be responsible for handing out the fines.
The proposed cost of a fixed penalty notice would be £60 if paid within 28 days rising to £120 if paid after 28 but within 42 days. If the penalty was not paid in full by the end of the 42 day period the local authority would have to either prosecute for the offence or withdraw the notice.
In a written statement Mr Andrews also said local authorities would be able to implement a ‘code of conduct’ for pupils who truant.
He said: “The penalty notice system is an additional option that can be used as part of local authority intervention strategies for less entrenched attendance issues. The intention of a local code of conduct, should a local authority choose to implement within their area, is to allow local authorities and schools take into consideration local and individual circumstances.
“Welsh Government guidance on the penalty notice system, which will be published in advance of the regulations coming into force, will provide detailed guidance on the format, content, consultation and application of the local code of conduct. The guidance will contain an example of a code of conduct intended to provide local authorities with a template they may use for their own code.
“The guidance will make clear that local authorities, following consultation with their schools and police, may limit the power of issuing penalties to the authority only and not head teachers if they so wish as part of their code of conduct.
“The summary of responses document is available on the Welsh Government website and I have now instructed my officials to prepare regulations to introduce fixed penalty notices for regular non-attendance at school from September 1 2013.”
Commenting on the Education Minister’s confirmation of the introduction of fixed penalty notices for truancy, the Conservative’s Shadow Minister for Education Angela Burns AM, said: “This is a lazy Labour government piling all its eggs into a basket of punishment – at the expense of support and liaison.
“There is a real danger that these fines will hit the most vulnerable hardest and ignore the real reasons behind truancy.
“I fear fines will stack up while behaviour remains largely unchanged.
“Low school attendance can have a hugely detrimental impact upon a child and Labour Ministers should be working hard to tackle the problem at its root causes.”
That should solve the problem of truancy then? (SIC)
Who on earth thinks this will encourage youngsters who are intent on truanting from doing so?
I fail to see any merit in this ` punishment` at all when it comes to understanding the many complex reasons why some individuals fail to attend school, and, having to pay a financial penalty for not doing so is crass.
How long will it be before local Council`s in Wales seek to have parents imprisoned for not being able to pay the fines which the friendly local magistrates, (many of whom are also teachers, headteachers, local Councillors and education professionals)impose, and who have previously `failed` these pupils who are intent on truanting in the first place.
This could only be of any use with non-compliant parents who would be the least likely to pay. Which will result in a stand off, should the school back down then the whole exercise becomes utterly pointless and will only exacerbate the problem.
Moderate parents not needing financial motivation to act with due care for their child's welfare will likely be alienated and think twice before approaching the school for help and advice for fear of landing themselves with a fine.
It will also place parents in the difficult position of risking a fine they cannot afford or lying to cover up truancy.
Unless they are willing to sanction deductions direct from salaries/benefits then the fines themselves are futile. The high cost of alienating more moderate parents is simply too high a price to pay.