WAGGING, BOBBING AND BUNKING OFF - AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW

To date the study of truancy has focused on the statistical and charac teristics of truants, with little attention paid to what C. Wright-Mil ls (1971) terms the relationship between 'personal troubles and public issues'. Despite evidence of rising levels of truancy, little is know n about who persistent truants are and why they skip school. While con ventional explanations link truancy with school generated problems, bo redom, bullying and under-achievement (Elton, 1987; HMI, 1989), few st udies consider issues beyond school which affect the broader picture o f non-school attendance. This paper draws attention to some of these n eglected issues, in particular those linking family, school, poverty a nd public policy. Its conclusion is that if the incidence of truancy l ooks set to rise, this may have more to do with government policies (a nd the effects of poverty and unemployment) than with pupils families and schools who currently bear the brunt of the blame.