A SHOCKING one in three secondary school pupils in Bolton have skipped lessons without permission according to new figures.

A report published by the department for education and skills showed that nearly a third of Bolton's high school population had missed an average of 17 half-days.

The figures were released as the Government announced plans to target parents of "serial truants for possible fast-track prosecutions.

It is understood that Bolton children are on a hitlist of 8,000 students at 146 secondary schools who will be given 12 weeks to improve or see their parents face fines or court appearances.

But local education bosses say that they are committed to tackling unauthorised absences among school children, but stressed that the figures had to be put in to context.

Ian Price, the principle education social worker, said that the numbers quoted by the department of education and skills were not all necessarily playing truant.

He explained: "It could be the case that children have brought in notes from their parents asking to be allowed out of school. It is up to the school whether that reason is acceptable if not, then it is noted as an unauthorised absence."

Out of a total of 18,434 high school pupils, 5,946 missed lessons without either notifying the school, the reason given being unacceptable or through playing truant.

Primary schools fared a little better, with one in ten children - 2,706 out of 21,042 - skipping lessons without authorisation.

On average they missed nine half-days out of the school year.

But Mr Price said that despite the figures pupil attendance levels were at their highest.

He said the local education authority had a range of measures to tackle school absences.

They included taking parents to court and issuing fines. In 2001/02 the authority took 20 parents to court over their children being out of school, compared to 90 over the last school year, and 76 in 2003/4. Attendance levels improved in 66 per cent of the cases that were taken to court in 2003/4.

Mr Price said: "If children are in school they will achieve to their full potential.

"We will take action against absences that are not justified - parents should expect action to be taken."

He added that absences classed as authorised were also scrutinised by the authority.