Parents of truanting school children can be fined up to �100.

The fines will be levied by police, education welfare officers or school head teachers.

Research suggests parents do not think prosecuting them will work and many teachers have their doubts over the scheme.

Will the scheme make those playing truant reconsider? Is it right that parents are blamed? Send us your views.

This debate is now closed. Read your comments below.

The following comments reflect the balance of views we have received:

The huge privilege of the opportunity of free learning and the acquisition of knowledge in our schools is generally completely unrecognised in this country. You only need to visit some other countries to realise how very lucky we are here in this respect. To abuse this opportunity is, in my opinion, ignorant and certainly not 'cool'. Discipline for children, particularly under age 5, is essential. Parents must take responsibility for the children they produce.
Ann, London

It is the causes of truancy that need addressing Anon, UK

Truancy fines would cause financial hardship on already struggling parents who may have no idea that their child has not attended school and be just as sad about it as the schools are. It is the causes of truancy that need addressing.
Anon, UK

Yes when applied to conscientious law abiding parents, but like all these wonderful ideas the people who they should apply to, won't pay or be made to pay.
Ron, England

Persistent truants have to be dealt with. I think that the parents of persistent truants or troublesome pupils should be made to sit with their child in class every day. Let the parents, who after all have the utmost responsibility to look after their offspring, ensure they are attending classes, and then the teachers get on with what they are paid to do, teaching. In fact the parents might even learn something themselves. Why should unruly children spoil lessons for those wanting to learn? I most definitely blame the parents, but these days people can't seem to accept their responsibilities it always seems to be someone else's fault.
Diane, Manchester

Be where we tell you, do what we tell you, wear what we tell you or we'll fine your Mum! It's all getting a bit coercive for a free society, isn't it? Perhaps school would be more valued if it wasn't compulsory.
Nestor, London

I use to be terrified to go to school and occasionally played truant because I was bullied. Now parents are being told they they'll be fined if they don't send their child in to school to go through this torment. Is that right - in my view it isn't. Schools should be accountable for a child's well being and safety and by not doing so they should be open to prosecution and compensation, because bullying causes a lot of damage to a child that affects them for the rest of their lives, I know, I'm 37 and suffer from anxiety because of the torment I was put though. Forcing parents to put a child through that is, disgusting. Child suicide rates will rise.
Malley, Croydon

Another pointless gimmick that is unenforceable in practice just like on the spot fines for louts. Most of the parents of these children couldn't care less. When will this government realise that they are not all powerful. They seem to think all they have to do is say something and it instantly happens.
John, UK

While it may deter some. It's not a practical solution for those who have no genuine control of their children. Getting in debt could frustrate the parents, which could lead to anger rather than real solution.
Mrs Wilson, Cardiff, Wales

When so many parents have a lack of respect for anything and anyone, let alone for themselves, how in the world is this going to help? Fining won't work. Imprisonment will. Its that simple.
Ed Hollinshead, UK

Don't blame the parents for a system that obviously doesn't work.
John Shepherd, Boston UK

Parents should take responsibility for their children Paul G, London UK

Parents should take responsibility for their children; it's right that they should be blamed. It's sad to see people making excuses, either for parents not being responsible or for children truanting.
Paul G, London UK

My education was ruined by having to put up with unruly pupils who disrupted classes, bullied, and who did not want to go to school. I would have been better off if they had all played truant permanently. With a better education I would be earning more but would consequently have had to contribute more to their unemployment benefit.
Dave, UK

It might get kids back to school (where they are probably far from welcome) but it gives completely the wrong message. These children have to learn that they are responsible for their own actions. Punish the children, not the parents.
Bryan, Edinburgh

This is an excellent law, I think it will certainly reduce the high truancy rates. Even though it isn't really the parents' fault if their children skive off school, the school will inform them of low attendance rates and the parents can then ensure their children go to school and if necessary, make sure they sign in. If their child skives school because of bullying, then all they have to do is inform a teacher, get the child to stand up for themselves, move school or even get a private tutor!
Al, Norwich, UK

What about kids who attend their first class at secondary school in the morning and sneak off on the way to the next class? John, UK

What about kids who attend their first class at secondary school in the morning and sneak off on the way to the next class? A fine in this case would be very unfair as the parents cannot be with their child during the whole school day.
John, UK

Fining parents who deliberately fail to send their children to school is a deterrent and a good thing. However, fining parents for going on holiday during school term time is totally wrong especially if agreement has been granted by the school.
C Beaven, Stevenage, UK

I am a great believer in education and proactively encourage my children to attend school but my 16 year old will not, he hides, runs away you name it, i have run out of ways to get him to go to school.
S Pikes, Dorset

Bullying. That is one of the reasons why some children skip school. I was bullied most of my school life and as a result I hated going to school. The teachers never did anything about the bullying, many just ignored it. If you getting beaten up in school each day and the teachers didn't listen then what choices did you have. I may have skipped classes yet I still passed my exams first time and went to university.
David Ashley, London

Court action and fines DO work Barry P, Havant, England

Last year I had the job of transporting several children to school in the morning and taking them home at the end of the day. One young lad usually missed 3 or four days each week. Then, a woman was jailed for failing to send her daughter to school. Guess what? The young lad suddenly managed a near perfect attendance record for the rest of his time at school, suddenly his father actually bothered to get out of bed and send his son to school. Court action and fines DO work.
Barry P, Havant, England

Drive a further wedge between parents and their troubled kids - great idea! Family life never looked so rosy....
Bede Macgowan, London

Not all parents are at fault when their children play truant. Many parents take their children to school or trust them to go on their own. If a child does not go, or leaves shortly after arrival, then the parent(s) should not be held responsible.
Bridget Doman, Sheffield, UK

What next, fines for parents who don't make sure their child does their homework? Too many people think they know what is right for other people's children. If everyone concentrated on their own children this problem wouldn't exist.
Paul, York, UK

The government needs more revenue and this is a convenient way to get it. Just like the huge increase in speeding fines for no safety benefit and the new fines for not taxing your car at the correct microsecond. But it's only the "criminal" that pays so who could complain?
Peter, UK

While I'm not sure that truancy fines will work, I certainly think that they will be more enforceable than current laws. However, support also needs to be available for parents with particularly difficult children.
Iain, Edinburgh, UK

Perhaps if schools were interesting and stimulating (through smaller class sizes and competent teaching) rather than mindless drone factories, children would actually want to attend?
Harvey, London, UK

They need to look into the many reasons why children are truanting in the first place Sara, Edinburgh, Scotland

Fines will not solve the problem. The government is looking for an easy solution to this and it's not going to happen. They need to look into the many reasons why children are truanting in the first place and tackle the problems at source. Prevention is always better than cure. I believe schools are just as responsible for ensuring their pupils attend classes, as the parents are for ensuring their children go to school. There are no easy solutions to life, and the sooner the government realise this the better our society will be.
Sara, Edinburgh, Scotland

At first I read this and thought it was a good idea - hit the parents of these truants where it hurts and it'll get the kids into school. Then I thought of the delinquent I went to school with, 6'3 at 15 and with no desire to go to school. I remember no teacher in our school, from the petite English teacher to the former rugby player PE teacher could control him, what makes the government think his single parent mother with 3 other kids could? Fining parents would make no difference, as most whose kids run wild are either completely unable or unwilling to control their children.
AJ, Oxford, UK

It is important for both the school and parents to find out the underlying reasons why children play truant. The children might be being bullied or have some fears. These are some issues that we need to find and take proactive actions to resolve the root of the problems.
Christina Spybey, London, UK

I'd like to table an amendment. If a parents are deemed to be culpable for failing to ensure their children attends school, then the school is should be considered culpable for failing to ensure that those children who do attend remain there all day.
Steve, Bury St Edmunds, UK

I don't think penalties of this kind will help; community service would be a far better approach, at least that way the community gets some benefit rather than just a faceless fine. Hitting someone's wallet won't teach them right and wrong, just what they can and cannot get away with.
Simon Rerrie, Birmingham, UK

Kids are required to go to a school that will 'randomly drug test' them and now if they want to avoid it their parents will be fined? Sounds stupid to me.
Ewan, UK

I consider it be a good idea and believe that it would reduce truancy very substantially. Parents will keep an ardent check on their children school attendance. I would add that for every further offence, fine should be increased to �200.
Saqib Khan, London, UK

I think it is a great idea to try it. Hit parents where it hurts most, the pocket, and you will soon see a difference.
Claire Herbert, London

You watch the reports of bullying mount up Julie, Cardiff, Wales

You watch the reports of bullying mount up. That will be the next issues for schools, why should parents pay for protecting their children; by the way I missed most of my education due to bullies. and my parents were chased for the truancy, and when my mum asked what they could do for me re: bullying they went quiet and didn't bother calling again!
Julie, Cardiff, Wales

Let me get this straight - We are to pay Teachers to teach Mathematics, We re to pay pupils to go to School and now we are to fine parents for the truancy of their children (presumably to pay for the other two items), what kind of a Society is being made here?
DB, UK

Who exactly is this aimed at? Is it a genuine plan, designed to address the issue of troublesome children "bunking off" or is this going to become a money raising exercise aimed at ordinary families, who take a child off school for whatever reason. We all know what it should be� but I doubt that's the point of it!
Mark H, UK

I believe that more parents should take greater responsibility for their children, but what about the child who truants from school as a result of bullying or personal reasons? Also what about low income parents, how will they be made to stump up the cash?? Its all very well implementing these schemes, but what about enforcing them?
Amy Walshe, UK

They should be fined �100 for EVERY day the child has been absent. If the parent doesn't pay - stick the kid in care, so it can be looked after by someone who is capable. Only by being firm, will these sorts of actions make a difference.
James, Dorset, UK