PRIME Minister Tony Blair has been accused of undermining a crackdown - being launched today - on Bolton parents who book term time holidays.

Bolton education chiefs are set to give the green light to a major attendance drive on exactly the same day the Blair children arrive back in school late for the new term.

And Conservative education spokesman Cllr Alan Wilkinson believes the Blairs' decision will make it harder to bring in a planned clampdown on local parents who take their children out of school for family holidays

He said: "He is not really setting a good example nationally and it could make it harder to tell parents in Bolton not to do it.

"You will get some people saying there are double standards if we are telling people not to do something on the same day the Prime Minister is doing exactly the same thing.

"But I do support plans to encourage parents to take responsibility for sending their children to school.

"Parents think they have a right to take their children out of classes but really it is up to the school to decide on that."

Education chiefs came up with their strategy to boost attendance before the row blew up about the Prime Minister's children missing the first few days of the new term following their Christmas break in the Seychelles.

Headteachers believe too many parents still take their children out of lessons for the old traditional Bolton holidays, the last week of June and the first week in July.

And they have noticed a growth in the number of children starting the Autumn term late as their parents take advantage of cheap September holidays.

Bolton was one of the towns consulted about the problem before Education secretary David Blunkett accused parents of harming their children's education by pulling them out of lessons for cheap breaks abroad.

This announcement prompted the Blair holiday row but Bolton education chiefs had already planned a publicity campaign, including leaflets, to tell parents they do not have an automatic right to take their children out of school for family holidays.

Their long term strategy also includes measures to cut the unauthorised absence rate in Bolton secondary schools which, at 1.8pc, is higher than the England average of 1.1pc and generally increase attendance.

"Children absent from school, for whatever reason, miss out on their education," said the report, which will be discussed by the Personal Services sub-committee today.

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