2002_07_07_archive

Link between poverty and truancy

Children are more likely to skip school if they come from poor

families, a study suggests.

Research carried out at Cambridge University found a close link

between poverty and truancy among primary school children.

Researcher Ming Zhang says much effort is put into tackling

absenteeism among teenagers - but by then it is too late because bad

habits have already set in.

The study, carried out at Magdalene College and School of Education,

examined statistics on truancy from London boroughs between 1997 and

2000.

It also involved interviews with 90 council education welfare officers

and 98 parents on low incomes.

Ming Zhang says the parents who were questioned said they sometimes

forgot about their younger children's schooling when they hit money

trouble.

"For many people this may be a bizarre excuse for primary school

children not to attend school," he said.

"Yet for the families facing financial difficulties, the problem is

real."

Mr Zhang, who is the principal education welfare officer in Kingston,

believes once children reach secondary schools, other factors, like

peer pressure, become more significant in leading children to truant.

'Irresponsible parents'

The study also looked at attitudes to truancy among council officials

and parents.

Both agreed that "irresponsible parents" were to blame for truancy and

did not link poverty to children missing school.

Nearly half (47%) of council welfare officers canvassed said

irresponsible parents were to blame.

Among parents, 44% thought the same.

Among welfare officers questioned for the study, nearly four out of

five (78%) said that truancy rates would not be cut by prosecuting

parents of truants.

None thought prosecution was the best way to improve attendance.

But parents themselves were slightly more likely to think prosecutions

could improve attendance, 10% said this was the best way to improve

attendance.

According to the officials questioned, an improvement in parenting

skills would do most to curb truancy.

Local councils sometimes go to court to get an order obliging parents

to take parenting classes, when other attempts to get children into

school fail.

For parents, the most important factors in tackling truancy were

professional support for parents and improved parenting skills.

Ming Zhang believes the best way to tackle truancy is to offer low

income families welfare support in terms of benefits, job

opportunities and access to leisure.