TEACHERS in East Lancashire have slammed plans to fine or arrest parents who fail to ensure their children attend school.

David Blunkett announced the government clampdown at the Labour party conference in Bournemouth yesterday.

He said fines for parents who allowed children to skip lessons would more than double from £1,000 to £2,500 per parent per child - or £5,000 per couple.

Failure to ensure full attendance, said Mr Blunkett, could be an arrestable offence, ensuring that parents who break the law could be compelled to attend court and not just be fined in their absence.

But Dick Greenfield, the Lancashire representative on the national executive of the NASUWT union said the idea was "naive".

He added: "This is a simplistic way of tackling what is a very complicated problem and it is my opinion that it is doomed to failure.

"There are several reasons why children truant from school and these proposals will not address all of those problems.

"The idea of fining parents will prove counter productive because many of the parents whose children don't attend school would never be able to afford the fine.

"These proposals are simply designed to catch the headlines."

Simon Jones, East Lancashire spokesman for the NUT added: "We want to work with parents.

"But if parents view teachers as an arm of the police force that co-operation will be undermined."

The only East Lancashire teachers backing the fines are members of the National Association of Head Teachers.

Blackburn with Darwen Council's education committee recently passed plans to combat truancy with the possibility of a town centre base where police could take truants.

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