EAST Lancashire’s schools deserve praise for the way they are tackling truancy.

Schools under the control of Lancashire County Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council are better than the national and regional average for children skipping lessons.

In Lancashire 1,301 fewer children were persistently off school without consent in 2007/08 compared with the previous year’s figures.

Critics are always quick to lay into schools, parents and pupils for any perceived drop in standards.

But in this case it appears that the authorities and schools are making headway in tackling what is a serious problem. Children need to gain a full and proper education if they are to be able to make a living once they leave school. Attending lessons is essential for this to happen.

While academic studies are not for everyone, a wider range or more vocational courses are now being made available for young people.

But as NUT secretary Simon Jones says: “We can’t teach them if they are not there.”

Efforts to make sure pupils attend classes are working, although it is disappointing that the number of primary school pupils missing lessons has risen slightly.

The councils need to maintain this momentum and make further improvements this year.