What can start off as a game all too often ends up with kids in court for theft, burglary or criminal damage. Home Office research shows that truants are more than three times more likely to offend than kids who stay in school. Another study shows that 78 per cent of boys and 53 per cent of girls who truant once a week or more commit offences. Kids with poor attendance records are far more likely to be given jail sentences if they end up in court. Sometimes it starts with problems at school.
Ofsted inspectors say that some of the worst attenders in some schools are also the weakest readers.
If their basic literacy isn't what it should be they're bound to struggle to keep up, and some choose to bunk off if they don't have support at home or school to get up to speed with reading. But if the school takes bullying seriously, and you help your child stand up for themselves, their attendance problems should begin to get sorted out. See our bullying article . While poor attendance is often rooted in trouble at school, problems at home can also influence youngsters' decisions to skip class. If parents condone unauthorised absence for family shopping trips or expect older children to look after their younger brothers or sisters during school days, the message they're giving their children is that education is not that important.