Schools to use text alert system

Parents can be warned about absences via mobile phone

Derbyshire schools are hoping a text notification system will help them to cut truancy.

Deincourt Community School in Chesterfield already uses the text alerts to check on absent pupils.

The text alert system can also be used to remind parents of meetings and special events.

The government is providing funding for text alert systems for more than 400 schools across England and Wales with persistent attendance problems.

Statistics show that the overall absence in England's secondary schools for autumn 2006/spring 2007 was 7.76 per cent.

On a typical school day there are 50,000 children who are not in school and more than eight million school days lost across the UK each year.

Deincourt Community School - a secondary school with 474 pupils - already uses the system to tackle truancy.

Head teacher Alun Pelleschi said: "We have had a very pleasing reaction from the parents as the system reminds them that they must inform the school straight away if their child is absent."

He added the system had cut the amount of time spent contacting parents.