A ZERO tolerance campaign is being launched to boost attendance and punctuality among Hartlepool's primary school pupils.

Headteachers and education officers aim to clamp down on condoned absence, where children take time off unnecessarily with the consent of their parents, as well as lateness, which can mean children miss vital parts of lessons.

Officials believe whole classes can be held back by youngsters being late or absent as there is often a need to recap work when they return to lessons.

The zero tolerance campaign aims to improve standards among pupils in the town.

Throston Primary School headteacher Jean Hart, who is playing a leading role in the campaign, said: "The message has got to be that if children don't come to school we can't educate them."

In the past three years, 273 primary school pupils have been stopped by Hartlepool Borough Council's truancy patrols, and the majority of these children were accompanied by parents or carers.

Over the coming months, schools will devise schemes to encourage children to attend lessons on time.

Director of education Jeremy Fitt said: "This initiative has been established in partnership with every primary school headteacher in the town.

"We are seeking to establish a zero tolerance of unauthorised absence from school.

"We have been very successful in raising the standards of performance of our pupils.

"However, a significant number are being held back due to their non-attendance at school.

"The majority of these pupils are absent with the knowledge of parents, and are at home rather than on the streets.

"It is as important, if not more so, for a six-year-old to attend school regularly and on time as it is for a 16-year-old, because the foundations for learning are laid in primary school. It is vital we get the message over to parents."

The campaign hopes to improve exam results in Hartlepool schools.

Officials have appealed for parents to help them give children the best start in life by not keeping them off school unnecessarily.

Local Education Authority attendance manager Julie Armstrong said: "There are always going to be days where a child can't go to school, but we have to make sure the reasons are valid.