Top Tory says headteachers should visit absentee children's homes to bring them to school

The surprising comments came after Tory cabinet member Gillian Keegan said she would "pick them up myself" when asked how she would do to bring the absent children back to school Gillian Keegan said headteachers have a 'duty' to pick up pupils doing the training (

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Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said headteachers “have a duty” to go to the homes of students who are truant and bring them to school.

The surprising comments came after the Tory cabinet member said she would 'pick them up myself' when asked how she would go about getting absent children back to school.

But the remark was called 'unnecessary' as headteachers said they 'demonstrate a worrying lack of understanding of how schools work'.

Ms Keegan has claimed the number of students skipping class is a 'crisis' - with the latest data suggesting 125,000 are missing more classes than they attend.

The Education Secretary, who asked if it was a good use of a headteacher's time, said it was 'worth it' if it brought someone to school. It was considering measures to combat absenteeism.

Thousands of children miss more classes than they attend (

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In a message, she said: "They [school leaders] have a duty. We all have to play our part. Sometimes you have to go [home] or sometimes you have to text the parent in the morning. Sometimes you just have to do everything possible.

"It's not what we want school leaders to do all day. But to be honest, right now, if it works to get someone to school, it's worth it .

"I would get them myself if I could."

Local authorities estimate that nearly 100,000 children are deprived of education, but there is no legal obligation to keep an official register.

When asked if this should change, Ms Keegan replied: "This is something that my fellow MPs are very concerned about. I don't have the exact date because there is a parliamentary process that we have to follow, but we intend to put it on a statutory basis and we will do so as soon as parliamentary time permits."

But headteachers described the comments as "unnecessary".

James Bowen, deputy general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: 'These comments are unnecessary and demonstrate a disturbing lack of understanding of how schools work.

“Headteachers obviously have to be at school to run their schools – asking them to drive around the area to pick up children is impractical, and neither would it be...