Primary schools have been singled out as the key to breaking the cycle of truancy that some students fall into in their teens.
Charlie Taylor, the government's expert advisor on behaviour, has also called for an overhaul of the fines system for truants' parents and suggested that those who refuse to pay should be docked child benefit.
Almost 400,000 children currently miss 15 per cent or more school days a year and are accordingly classified as persistently absent by the government. Of these, 133,500 are state primary pupils and 245,500 are secondary students with a handful coming from special schools.
Mr Taylor, a behavioural specialist and former headteacher, has published a review of attendance in which he points out that 54 million days were missed by students last year.
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