EIGHT pupils and their parents were spoken to by officers from police and Ceredigion council in the latest authority crackdown on school truants.

The latest “truancy sweep” by officers on 16 May followed an earlier operation in February, where 15 families were spoken to.

The joint anti-truancy initiative between Dyfed-Powys Police and Ceredigion Learning Services targeted pupils known to the Education Inclusion Service; pupils with school attendance below 90 per cent; pupils whose parents had failed to inform school of their child’s whereabouts; and pupils who are known to be vulnerable or at risk.

The operation visited “several addresses” in Aberystwyth, Lampeter, Aberaeron and Tregaron where “no satisfactory explanation had been received by the school for the child’s absence” as part of the sweep.

A Ceredigion council spokesman said: “Truancy sweeps are used as an additional tool in tackling unauthorised absence from school.

“It is widely recognised that children with a low level of school attendance usually have lower levels of school attainment."

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