ELEVEN parents have been taken to court for failing to ensure their children attended school during the last academic year.

During that period, 41 penalty notices were also issued to those whose children played truant.

The fines, including costs and surcharges, handed out by court ranged from £50 to £615.

Nicola Turvey at Herefordshire Council said: “Persistent absence is a serious problem for pupils. Much of the work children miss when they are off school is never made up, leaving these pupils at a considerable disadvantage for the remainder of their school career.

“There is also clear evidence of a link between poor attendance at school and low levels of achievement.”

Ms Turvey said that of the pupils who miss more than 50 per cent of school, only three per cent are able to achieve five A* to C grades including English and maths.

“The government’s threshold for persistent absence is 15 per cent – the equivalent of having a month off school,” Ms Turvey added.

“When this threshold is reached, intervention is required by the school and the local authority.”

“We do everything we can to help families: our main concern is to get the child back into school so that they can benefit from the education they need and deserve and are not put at a disadvantage for the rest of their lives.

“Taking parents to court is a last resort, but we will do so if necessary.”