PARENTS in the Vale of Evesham who continually fail to ensure their children attend school regularly could be hit with £50 on-the-spot fines.

Meeting on Tuesday, Worcestershire County Council's Cabinet members discussed how best to incorporate the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 into the service already operated by education welfare officers.

They decided the key area was the empowering of the county council to serve the penalty notices in a bid to crack down on repeat offenders.

The notices will only be served for continued unauthorised absence from school and Cabinet members approved the protocol for education welfare to work in partnership with head teachers and the police to use and administer the notices.

Steve Wilkinson, principal education welfare officer, explained: "Penalty notices will only be used as an option when dealing with parents that regularly fail to ensure that their children are in school and therefore missing out on the education they need. They can be used as an early intervention tool to stop parents and pupils getting into bad habits where attendance is concerned."

He pointed out: "We still have other options open to us, usually home visits and advice, guidance and support for pupils and parents. This is our preferred route to ensuring regular attendance, but obviously at the other end of the scale there is prosecution through magistrates courts and this severer action will still be available to us."

The Act will also allow the county council, head teachers or police to apply for and then serve a parenting order which will make parents attend classes aimed at helping them improve their child's behaviour.

Bernard Roberts, head teacher at Prince Henry's High School, Evesham, said: "There are not many powers available to schools and it may be there are occasions when it may be beneficial for heads to use these sanctions.

"My own belief is that it is better dealt with by dialogue than this kind of sanction which may well be very difficult to collect. It would have to be used very carefully because there is a lot of potential for damage to the relationship between home and school."

He added: "I can't see it being widely used."

Clive Corbett, head teacher at Pershore High School, said rather than being punitive with parents it was better to try and help them with difficulties. "To fine them, except in the case of deliberately keeping children from school, might be the wrong policy."