| Last year's figures were better, with one of the lowest growths in truancy for a long time, but still showed a slight increase. |
| A national crackdown on truancy has seen fast-track court action against parents of hardcore truants. |
| The best way to cut truancy rates is to make school worthwhile for all pupils. |
| Some education authorities have cut truancy by introducing electronic registers, which can plot patterns of absences. |
| Educational neglect occurs when a child is allowed to engage in chronic truancy, or is of mandatory school age but not receiving schooling. |
| Officials suggested some of the rise in truancy was due to headteachers getting tough, leading to more recorded cases. |
