ONE in five school pupils in Southampton played truant last year, the Daily Echo can reveal.

Out of 27,500 pupils in the city, more than 5,600 played hookey for at least one day.

In Hampshire the situation was little better with one in six pupils playing truant last year.

The figures are well above the national average.

A total of 2,493 out of Southampton's 12,526 secondary school pupils failed to show up for classes at least once during the academic year that ended in July.

In addition 3,152 out of 14,902 primary pupils stayed away from school without permission.

In the county's primary schools 11,589 of the 89,219 pupils played truant with 14,725 of Hampshire's 72,610 secondary age pupils missing lessons without a reasonable excuse.

The average number of half days missed by youngsters skipping primary school lessons without permission was nine while in secondary schools the figure was worse with truants missing an average of 18 half days.

This compares with national averages of eight half days and 15 half days.

In Hampshire the average number of half days missed at primary schools was seven and 16 at secondary school. But unlike Southampton, there is no improvement on last year's performance.

Now education bosses in Hampshire and Southampton have pledged to clamp down on the boys and girls who skip classes.

They have warned the parents of persistent offenders could be hit with £50 penalty fines and even sent to prison under new powers being handed to head teachers from January.

Southampton's Cabinet member for lifelong learning Councillor Calvin Horner said it didn't matter how good the teaching or learning is in the city's schools if pupils not there to take advantage of it. He said: "We are closing the gap between Southampton and the national average.

"We have introduced and carried out a range of successful initiatives over recent years such as the School Attendance Matters Project and truancy sweeps to emphasise to parents and children the importance of school attendance.

"All schools this year will also be setting attendance targets.

"However we realise that there are still further improvements that can be made."

Hampshire County Council's deputy principal education welfare officer Jim McGilvery said the majority of youngsters skipping school were found to be with their parents.

He said: "In most cases we find there is a parent with the child and they are just at home or around a friend's house.

"They are not actually causing mayhem in the community as some people believe."

He said the authority wanted to help and support schools and families to make sure pupils attended school regularly. He added: "If they do not comply there are sanctions that can be taken."

During the last academic year 220 parents were prosecuted in Hampshire for failing to make sure their child attended school and were fined up to £2,500.

Two parents also received suspended prison sentences.

Truancy sweeps and cold calling mums and dads of children who fail to turn up to school are just some of the ways education bosses hope to crack down on the problem.

Police officers and education welfare officers working in pairs have already stopped 240 children during 11 truancy sweeps carried out in popular Southampton haunts for bunking off such as WestQuay, Shirley High Street and the Lordshill District Centre so far this year.

In Hampshire 549 pupils were stopped during 22 truancy sweeps. Of those 18 per cent said they were sick, 17 per cent admitted they were truanting, 14 per cent said they had a medical appointment, 12 per cent said they were on their lunch break, six per cent said they were on a restricted timetable and five per cent were excluded.