TRUANCY rates in the North-East and North Yorkshire are among the lowest in the country, it was revealed yesterday.

This year's provisional figures, released by the Department for Education and Skills, showed a slight fall in truancy on last year and the North-East became the lowest in the country for primary and secondary schools truancies.

The fall reflects the small national decline in truancy, which was announced during a high-profile campaign involving town centre truancy sweeps, police stationed in tough schools, and fast-track prosecution of parents of persistent truants.

The fast-track prosecution will come into force in the North-East before the end of the year.

Terry Bladen, a Darlington teacher, and national president of teaching union NASUWT, said: "There has been a slight improvement nationally and the region's figures are good, and I think it is to the good of the Government for setting off the initiative.

"As far as we are concerned it is down to the parents to get their kids into school.

"Criticising schools for kids not turning up, I have always believed, is firing at the wrong target.

"It is wrong for Ofsted to criticise schools for their attendance record. Finally the right people are being targeted in the Government measures - the parents and the children themselves and it is showing in the figures."

The official truancy yardstick, known as the percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence, fell by 0.01 per cent nationally.

But in the North-East's secondary schools, the figure dropped by 0.1 per cent to 0.8 - meaning the region, with the South-West, had the lowest truancy rates in England.

North Yorkshire's figures were similarly low, but its secondary school truancies had risen 0.1 per cent to 0.6 per cent in the past academic year.

The small fall in the national truancy rate came during the first year of the Government's £470m programme to improve behaviour and attendance.

The Department for Education and Skills said the biggest drops were seen in areas which benefited first, including Local Education Authorities piloting the ''fast-track'' prosecution of parents.