A mum and dad have been fined £4,000 for their daughter's truancy as a tough £2m crackdown on AWOL children is launched across the borough.

Michele Batstone and Stephen Mitchell, of Woodvale, Forest Hill, had pleaded not guilty to aggravated truancy but were convicted by Greenwich magistrates, last Thursday.

Their 15-year-old daughter missed 48 school days out of 72 between July and September, last year, and has not attended at all since December 21.

The previous highest fine in Lewisham for truancy was £1,000. Councillor Katy Donnelly told the News Shopper of her delight at the record-breaking prosecution.

She said: "The majority of parents are working with us to make sure their children are in school. We will work with parents who need extra help. But parents who fail to take their responsibility seriously can expect to be taken to court."

The cash will help the authority target not only truancy but also bad behaviour, and will fund six key areas.

These are: electronic registration schemes for persistent truants; support teams in schools to tackle bad behaviour; full time education for excluded pupils; extra truancy sweeps; the training of "bad behaviour experts" in each school; and more work with police and health services.

The money includes £500,000 specifically set aside to fund activities for youngsters during summer holidays.

Executive director for education and culture Frankie Sulke embraced the news of the cash injection.

She said: "Behaviour and attendance has a huge effect on all our pupils' learning. This money will pay for practical solutions and allow us to build on our already excellent partnership with the police.

"We will be able to give extra support to those pupils and their families who need it. More truancy patrols and electronic registration will help schools drive up standards of discipline."