BOLTON is to get more than £500,000 to deal with truancy and difficult youngsters in its schools. Bury will get more than £180,000.

The extra cash was announced today by School Standards Minister Estelle Morris as part of a drive to improve classroom discipline and improve school attendance.

She announced new guidelines to try to improve pupil behaviour and attendance, prevent expulsions and improve education for those who were excluded.

There is cash for work-related learning for 14 to 16-year-olds, for dealing with children who are not interested in conventional education, and trying to improve the standards of education for children excluded from school and who are taught either at home or in special units.

Ms Morris wants to end the situation where they often get only four to six hours teaching a week.

Bolton Education authority will get a total of £534,795 - £37,500 for work-related learning, £362,480 for problem children in class and £136,815 for excluded children.

Bury will get £182,240 - nothing for work-related learning, £110,139 for problem youngsters and £72,101 for excluded children.

For Salford, the figures are: £395,361 (£56,235, £224,146, and £114,980), and for Wigan they are: £124,729 (£37,500, £12,917, £64,312).

Ms Morris said: "Today's habitual truant will be tomorrow's criminal unless we act now. We must crack down on truancy and classroom delinquency.

"What you earn depends on what you learn. For their sakes, it means that we cannot let children waste their time in school."

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