NO one disputes the impact of truancy and indiscipline on our schools.

A child's long-term absence from the education system severely limits future employment prospects.

And disorder in the classroom by a small minority disrupts the standard of teaching and care for the well-behaved majority.

But to heap the bulk of the responsibility for solving the problem on the shoulders of the parents of truanting and disruptive children is one of the most ill-judged and ill-conceived notions this Government has come up with since it came into office.

If Charles Clarke believes that extending the threat of fines or imprisonment will turn bad parents into good parents then he must be out of touch with the real world.

The imposition of financial penalties will merely increase the hardship which is often the root cause of children's absence and behavioural problems in the first place.

And it is baffling to see how a child's interests will be better served by being put into care while his parents are behind bars.

The proposal to give headteachers the power to impose fines on parents is equally preposterous. Headteachers traditionally play the role of mediator between the child and parents and welfare authorities. That pivotal role will be destroyed when headteachers are used as enforcers of criminal law.

While it is right to adopt a zero tolerance attitude to absence and misbehaviour, it is wrong to tackle the problem solely through parents.

The education system as a whole must also shoulder responsibility.

Schools and teachers need to ask themselves if they are doing enough to encourage attendance and good behaviour.

Perhaps Mr Clarke would be wise to examine a system which is driven by performance indicators, league tables and academic achievements.

In a system which is judged simply by results, it can be tempting for schools to concentrate resources on the gifted and well-behaved from stable homes, rather than the less able and poorly behaved from deprived homes.

When Mr Clarke looks at the impact of bad parenting for the increase in truancy and classroom disorder, he should also look at the impact of some of the measures introduced by his party in recent years.