« Back to News

Texting Cuts Truancy

Truancy at Stranraer Academy and Douglas-Ewart School has been cut thanks to teenagers' number one activity ...texting.

By sending text messages to parents when their children are absent, the region's secondary schools have seen truancy decrease by nearly 30 percent - the biggest fall in Scotland.

A messenger system run by Groupcall, a company founded by Bob Geldof, also allows schools to send text messages to the mobile phones of staff and other school contacts or to leave voice messages on landlines or mobile phones.

Stranraer Academy Head Joanna Pallet said:

"We have been working hard to reduce unauthorised absence — that may include holidays taken in term time — and the figures are very promising."