TRUANCY is a serious problem and one which schools and local authorities are quite right to address with new thinking.

Children who do not attend school regularly are often the same children who get into trouble during the day and wreak havoc in the community.

But however well meaning the incentive scheme introduced by Blackburn's Queen's Park High School might be it does have a serious flaw.

Pupils with poor truancy records are to be offered raffle tickets if they reach targets for personal attendance, behaviour or academic achievement. The tickets go into a draw with cinema, ice skating and bowling tickets as prizes or a voucher for a KFC meal.

Encouragement is important and so is recognising improvement.

But to give such rewards to children (and indirectly their parents) merely for obeying the law is sending out the wrong message.

It is, in effect, saying that if you buckle down quietly and meet expectations you are likely to receive less attention or reward than if you cause trouble and make a nuisance of yourself.

In the case of truancy the government has suggested much tougher sanctions against parents who must ensure their children go to school rather than connive with them to miss lessons.

There has to be a proper balance between the use of the carrot and the stick.