Fines will be issued if pupils are absent from school without reason

The Department for Education and Science is backing education authorities and councils, giving them powers to issue the penalties.

Parents whose child has more than 10 sessions of unauthorised absence over a six-month period, will face the fine.

"A majority of families already work with schools to tackle the root causes of truancy," said a council spokesman.

The scheme would employ a sliding scale of fines starting at �50 and in severe cases prosecution to those families who are not so co-operative, he added.

Tim Browne, Head of Children and Young People's Support, at Gloucestershire County Council, said: "We are delighted with the improvements made on school attendance over the past year through joint working with parents and schools.

"However, there is still more we can do to improve the life chances of all young people in the county".

Jo Davidson, Executive Director of Education, said: "The key to stopping truancy is catching it early."