Schools help police with Truancy Campaign

Local Police and Blackpool Council are enlisting the help of school children across the town as part of a new truancy campaign.

Year 7 and 8 pupils of Blackpool’s secondary schools are being asked to design their very own truancy poster as part of an exclusive poster competition.

PC Dave Boyd from Blackpool Police came up with the idea. He said, “I have been conducting truancy sweeps with Pupil Welfare Officers for some time now and while we have made inroads into the problem, this is a great opportunity to further educate the youngsters about why it’s important that they stay in school and get a good education.

“I thought we should ask the young people themselves to help with getting the message across. That’s why I’ve asked year 7 and 8 pupils to help with the design of the poster and to make it worth their while there will be prizes for the best design from each school and for an overall winning design. The winning designs would then go into print and be displayed within Blackpool Schools.

“I would like everyone to be as innovative as possible but within some guidelines. Basically these are around being unsafe whilst out of school and possibly getting into bad company and getting involved in crime. There are also some more serious concerns I would like them to think about whilst designing the poster, such as becoming victims and the long-term problems a poor education would cause as they get older, such as, not getting a good job. We also want them to consider why an education is worthwhile and the benefits it can give throughout life.

“Young people that truant get involved socially in different friendship groups, usually with older people who may coax them into doing things that aren’t age appropriate.

“Quite apart from the fact it’s the law that children should be educated, truancy needs to be challenged. It is well evidenced that young people who haven’t been educated or who have truanted regularly are more at risk of being homeless, unemployed, suffer from depression, drift into alcohol and drug misuse and have mental issues compared with those who attend school regularly.”

Julie Smith, Pupil Welfare Manager for Blackpool said, “Good pupil attendance is essential in giving children the best start in life. The Council has a package of measures designed to encourage as many pupils as possible to attend school as often as possible, and this latest initiative is an exciting opportunity to further raise of profile of school attendance – and the many benefits it can bring.

“We already work closely with the Police on truancy sweeps across the town where we talk face to face with pupils and remind them why it’s important to be in lessons. We want to build on this successful partnership and further engage with young people on their level.

“The poster competition is targeted at Year 7 and 8 pupils in all our schools and the winning poster will be printed and displayed in schools and council offices. We’re looking forward to seeing some of their creative ideas and turning the best ones into reality.”