PARENTS are to be slapped with on-the-spot fines if their children skip school in a radical move to slash Bromley’s truancy rates.

The tough stance follows a trial in the borough late last year. The system is now being introduced as parents are notified by schools.

It means parents or carers can be issued with a £50 fixed-penalty notice if their youngsters bunk off classes.

They can even be awarded if pupils are consistently late for registration – after one formal warning.

The move is one of a number of stern measures to tackle truancy head on in the borough. Earlier this year, truancy patrols were out on the streets, nabbing youngsters who had not turned up.

By March, more than 200 schoolchildren had been stopped – many of them out with their parents.

Graham Arthur, Bromley’s executive councillor for children and young people, said: “While we should celebrate the fact that more children are receiving education on a daily basis than ever before, we must continue to tackle the problem of unauthorised absence from school.”

Kieran Osborne , head teacher at Hayes School, said the measure was welcome, but should be used with caution.

“The good thing about this is it’s more immediate and it’s clear. But the danger is that you could end up in an adversarial relationship with parents rather than working in a partnership. Hopefully it will not just be used sparingly but also sensitively.”

Mr Osborne said he would not want to impose fines on parents who he knew were not to blame.

“If you’ve got parents working with you, of course we’re not going to bring in draconian external sanctions,” he said. “It’s when you’ve run out of options. It’s meant to be a short, sharp shock.”

The initial fine of £50 will be increased to £100 if not paid within 28 days. Failure to pay will result in parents and carers being summonsed to magistrates’ court – where the fines could reach £2,500.

A mother of a 12-year-old who attends Langley Park School for Girls, but who did not want to be named, said:

“Some children are incredibly difficult. A lot (of truancy) is done without the parents’ knowledge. So they may be punishing the wrong people. But if other means don’t work, maybe it’s a good idea to hit people in their pockets.”

A mother of three whose 18- and 17-year-olds recently left the Priory School in Orpington and whose youngest is at Hillside Primary school, said: “It’s very difficult to make a child go to school. It’s unfair to penalise parents. Many whose children don’t go to school probably wouldn’t pay the fine anyway.”

Jennie Clark, Bromley’s education welfare manager, said: “Truancy is not a game. We take unauthorised absence very seriously. Fixed-penalty notices are just one of a range of measures available.”