TIGHTER controls are being enforced at a York school in an effort to crack down on truancy and lateness.

The parents of pupils at Joseph Rowntree will now be contacted on the first day their child is absent rather than after two or three days as is normally the practice.

Deputy head Magi Wright said the school did not have a lot of truancy, but staff did want to cut down on the present level and improve pupils' punctuality.

The new measures have come about following the appointment of a new absence administrator, funded following a bid to City of York Council.

The Government has provided money to the local education authority to help cut down on unauthorised absences. The administrator takes the class registers and rings around parents whose children are absent and who have not contacted the school.

Mrs Wright said: "Previously we would try to make a home call only on the first day if it was a pupil who had a truancy record, but otherwise we would not pick it up until the second or third day.

"Research shows picking up on absences on the first day has the best results."

She said on one recent occasion the parents of a Year Seven pupil had been contacted and told their child was not in school, and it turned out the pupil was truanting.

In five other cases parents were alarmed to discover their children were turning up to school late, despite them leaving home on time.

Parents are also being urged to ring the school themselves on the first day of absence to cut down on the number of calls the school has to make.

So far it has proved a success, and as well as helping with truancy and punctuality has also helped free up the time of staff who had to make the calls previously.

Updated: 10:37 Monday, June 09, 2003