A BOLTON secondary school is using telecommunications in a pioneering move to clamp down on truants.

Smithills School is handing out pagers to parents whose children are poor attenders so they can immediately told when their child has not turned in for school.

In 1994 an OFSTED inspectors reported an unauthorised absence rate of 1.07 per cent at Smithills, which headteacher Mike Kehoe says is not unusually high.

"Two years ago we introduced an electronic registration system. The pagers will work in tandem with this system and will alert us at the earliest possible opportunity if a pupil is absent," explained Mr Kehoe.

"Obviously these pagers will only be issued to parents who are anxious to ensure their child's attendance at school and are prepared to act immediately to ensure they get in to school at the earliest possible opportunity."

UK telecommunications company Pageone Communications, of Brentford, Middlesex, agreed to fund the pilot for a six week period and loan 10 of its pagers to Smithills.

If the pilot is successful Bolton LEA will apply for Government funding to continue with the scheme. An earlier pilot in County Durham has already proved a success.

"We shall put a message on the pager informing parents if their child is absent. We shall also inform them if they are in school as I'm anxious to ensure this isn't simply a system for passing on bad news," Mr Kehoe explained.

"I very firmly believe that good attendance plays a vital part in an individual child's progress and over the years this school has done a great deal to reward those children who do turn up every day.

"Because some of our parents work, or are not on the telephone, it's very difficult to for us to get in touch and inform them if their child is not in school, this system will hopefully make our efforts that much more effective."

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