#104 Truancy

In reality, however, the [1] of truancy and non-attendance are diverse and multifaceted. There are as many causes of non-attendance as there are non-attenders. Each child has her own [2] story, and whilst there may often be certain identifiable factors in common, each non-attending child demands and [3] an individual response, tailored to meet her individual needs. This applies [4] to the 14-year-old who fails to attend school because a parent is terminally ill, the overweight 11-year-old who fails to attend because he is [5] about changing for PE in front of peers, the 15-year-old who is 'bored' by lessons, and to the seven-year-old who is teased in the playground because she does not wear the latest designer-label clothes.