http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2118700/Tesco-truancy-row-Mother-questioned-police-taking-kids-school-opticians-appointment.html

What is photographer Mike Southon at SWNS.com playing at, this woman is meant to be looking disgusted not happy.

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www.newshuddlines.blogspot.com

Definate sadface fail.. unless she's so happy about getting in the DM she just can't contain the smile.

Bonus points for the 'but.. but.. she's middle class! How *dare* the police question her..' reaction of the mailites.

Her story is unclear. Either they were going in to get lunch - at 11am, or the were going to 'get something'. Either way, the kids should have been in school or en route. The police were doing the right thing to question her.
60% of all truancy is condoned or encouraged by parents. It's a problem.

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Where there is great doubt, there will be great awakening; small doubt, small awakening, no doubt, no awakening.

Indeed.. and she took them out for the whole day for this. Opticians appointments aren't generally that long even factoring in bus journeys etc. a half day would be the max. (assuming no possibility of an evening/weekend appointment).

It's not like police asking you a few questions is a major deal. Any minute now there will be an article on 'feral youths' and why aren't the police doing anything about it..

One of the captions. Seriously.

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Changin' avatars like there's no tomorrow

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Changin' avatars like there's no tomorrow

The technical term for that is bollocks.

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Where there is great doubt, there will be great awakening; small doubt, small awakening, no doubt, no awakening.

No, the technical term is "a complete load of utter bollocks"

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Changin' avatars like there's no tomorrow

That's the 'It was his/her birthday and I took him/her to buy a new pair of trainers' excuse.
A surprising number of parents claim to believe that kids don't have to go to school on their birthday.

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Where there is great doubt, there will be great awakening; small doubt, small awakening, no doubt, no awakening.

Indeed, and it's not like that excuse holds water now, what with out-of-town Sports Direct stores opening to 8-9pm.

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Changin' avatars like there's no tomorrow

A lot comes down to stay-at-home mums getting lonely, or needing help (especially if ill or disabled). Only absences due to illness or religious observance are automatically authorised and therefore not truancy, although schools can authorise absence for bereavements, funerals and major family events. Holidays are supposed to be authorised only in exceptional circumstances. All other absences are truancy, and a breach of the law. Even optician appointments...

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Where there is great doubt, there will be great awakening; small doubt, small awakening, no doubt, no awakening.

Yesterday the eldest lad had 7 teeth out under a general anesthetic at the dental hospital (over crowding due to a birth defect) .We were told it was up to us if he went in to school today. He ate breakfast fine, wasn't in pain so armed with a note excusing him from PE (which he is very happy about) off he went.

Around 11 this morning I noticed our next door neighbours kids playing out, she told me they hadnt gone in because they had had a late night and were tired.

I honestly feel sorry for teachers, but also feel sorry for kids whose parents wont parent and teach their kids that school is some kind of optional extra ,only to be done if you feel like it.

Dear God I sound like a mailite.

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Blog...http://itsjustahobby.wordpress.com/

Soon, if we are not prudent, millions of people will be watching each other starve to death through expensive television sets. Nye Bevan

But you aren't wrong.

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Where there is great doubt, there will be great awakening; small doubt, small awakening, no doubt, no awakening.

Even Mailites are right sometimes.

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Sick Left-wing Zealot.

A broken clock is right twice a day.

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Changin' avatars like there's no tomorrow