Falkirk introduced text alerts in all schools and nurseries

Electronic alerts have been used to inform parents if their children fail to show for class.

Mothers and fathers can also be grilled by Attendance Panels, which have the power to refer cases to the courts or the Children's Reporter.

Falkirk Council said there had been a marked improvement in school attendance since the schemes were introduced.

In some secondaries in the area, attendance had increased by 2%, while average primary pupil attendance had risen by almost 1%.

The number of school days lost through family holidays taken in term time had dropped by 12% during the same period.

Persistent absenteeism

The authority said parents had been warned they could face an Attendance Panel hearing if they took children on trips outwith official school holidays.

The panel, which is made up of three Falkirk councillors and an official from the education department, examines cases of persistent absenteeism.

It can refer pupils to the Children's Reporter or parents to the courts for prosecution and has dealt with a total of 28 cases since it was launched in 2005.

Falkirk Council was the first education authority in the UK to introduce the Groupcall text alert system in all its primary and secondary schools.

It sends a message to parents' mobile phones if their child does not turn up at school.

Education convenor Dr Alex Waddell said: "Good attendance at school has been shown to lead to better attainment at all ages and therefore it is important that we do what we can to ensure that our pupils are in class when they are meant to be.