FINING parents of truanting youngsters should be a last resort, according to a parent lobbying group.

But Nick Seaton, chairman of the York-based Campaign for Real Education, also broadly supported a York school that has taken the step of setting up a system where parents could face £50 if their kids abscond.

The Press reported yesterday that Oaklands School head teacher, David Ellis, is using a new "attendance panel" system, under which parents whose youngsters have a persistently poor attendance record can be fined £50.

Truancy at Oaklands School is the second worst in The Press's circulation area of York, North and East Yorkshire, with pupils missing about one day in every 50.

Mr Seaton said: "Fines should be a last resort as many parents probably can't afford £50 fines, but I do think that both youngsters and parents need to know that schools have clear and hard sanctions in place for those who don't obey the law.

"Parents have got to take responsibility with teachers to ensure that children do go to school regularly and this system at Oaklands does seem a good idea in light of that."

However, Mr Seaton said he would like to see local authorities doing more research to find out if it is youngsters who are under-performing at school who are playing truant. Currently, there are 768 pupils at Oaklands School which along with Lowfield School will be replaced by York High School, on the Oaklands site, in 2007, with Mr Ellis as the headmaster. Twelve families have been through the panel system.

Oaklands' neighbour, Lowfield, currently has the worst attendance figures in the city.

The panels consist of governors, a senior member of staff from the school and representatives from City of York Council.

Youngsters who skip school are called in with their parents to thrash out an agreed target and they have a month to six weeks to prove they can stick to it. If not, the council can take their parents to court under new Government legislation.

Elsewhere in the city the attendance panel system - and threat of £50 fines - is now also being used at Joseph Rowntree School, which has 1,265 pupils in New Earswick.

The school's attendance record is better, with 1.5 per cent of days missed, but still seven families have gone through the process, with three more in the pipeline.