Families often keep youngsters off school to help out at home

Ruffwood School in Kirkby, Liverpool, has come bottom of league tables for last year, which were published by the Department for Education and Skills on Thursday.

However, according to education bosses in Knowsley the school is now showing a marked improvement in attendance and exam results.

The school has taken eight families to court in the last year, under a "fast-track" truancy prosecution process, as part of the work.

It has also had success in targeting the far greater number of parents who allow their children to stay off school by providing them with fake sick notes.

Full stop

Barbara Theaker, Knowsley's principal school attendance improvement officer, said: "There's still a perception by parents that if they provide a note, the absence is authorised, which means in legal terms...the school cannot take any action."

An attendance panel has now been introduced to bring parents to account for their children's absences, with a demand for proof of illness from a GP.

Ms Theaker said: "The government are focusing on the wrong thing. It should be attendance full stop.

"If you reduce authorised absence as well as unauthorised, you improve the overall attendance."

Steve Munby, director of education for Knowsley Borough Council said: "In Knowsley, over 40% live in housing where there is no earned income.

"It's that kind of issue that we are addressing. It needs to be addressed and the school is making good progress."

He also pointed out that the school's GCSE results had "gone up by 10 times the national average".