A £2M programme to tackle truancy and misbehaviour has brought about a record drop in the number of pupils being permanently excluded from County Durham schools.

Figures published this week show that 85 pupils were permanently excluded in the county during the past academic year.

This compares to 114 in the previous year and represents a fall of 25 per cent.

The Government has set every local education authority targets to reduce truancy and permanent exclusions by one third.

The latest figures show Durham County Council is well on track to reach its target of between 63 and 79 permanent exclusions by this time next year.

The council worked in partnership with every primary, secondary and special school in the county, and other organisations, to develop a multi-agency plan to tackle the problem.

Initiatives included the provision of temporary off-site schooling for pupils at risk of exclusion and special counselling sessions.

The programme introduced a crisis response service to offer support strategies to pupils at risk of exclusion, and a major alternative education project for 15 to 16-year-olds.

There were also moves to crack down on unruly pupils on school buses by using video cameras to monitor behaviour.

Durham education director Keith Mitchell said he was delighted with the success.

"Truancy in secondary schools has been reduced by half over the last two years from 1.5 per cent to 0.75 per cent this year," he said.

"That is lower than the Government target we've been set for 12 months' time."

The county's truancy rate in primary schools has always been at or below the Government target of 0.1 per cent.

Durham County Council has pioneered several successful initiatives to tackle truancy which have been followed by councils elsewhere in the country.

These include crackdowns in know truancy hot spots by teams of police and education welfare officers, and the introduction of a playground passport scheme. Parents who allow their children to play truant regularly face a fine of £2,500 or a three-month jail sentence.