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A report (Missing out) from the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO), published on 26 November 2003, suggests that the Government could tackle truancy by providing a more flexible national curriculum, which placed practical and vocational education on an equal footing with academic learning.
The report finds that children who have stronger practical skills can become disillusioned by a system which emphasises academic attainment. It cites disaffection at school as a key indicator of future offending and up to 60% of referrals to Youth Offending Teams (YOT) were identified as having special educational needs.
Researchers believe that as many as 100,000 children could be missing from the education system, for reasons as varied as low attainment and bullying. The report calls for a greater focus on welfare-based intervention for such youngsters rather than draconian punishments aimed at parents.
A summary of the report can be viewed on the NACRO website