A SUSSEX school is in line for more than £300,000 under a new crackdown on truancy and crime among pupils.

Hampden Park School in Eastbourne, where truancy is above average, will receive £320,000 over two years under the Government's new Crime Reduction programme, unveiled today.

The cash, £80,000 of which will come from East Sussex County Council, will be spent on tackling poor behaviour, including bullying in the classroom.

It will set up in-school schemes such as pupil mentoring and closer school links between problem pupils and their families.

Staff will be trained to deal specifically with truancy and its causes, and to recognise behavioural problems associated with drug abuse.

The Home Office says Hampden Park has the worst crime figures for Eastbourne with school-aged pupils involved in drug misuse.

In a statement, the Home office adds the behaviour of pupils in the secondary school is poor with a high level of truancy and "post-registration truancy", where youngsters show up for the morning roll-call but then disappear.

In total the Crime Reduction programme will receive £12 million, with 100 schools across the country getting up to £375,000 each.

Education ministers hope the programme will slash by a third levels of truancy and expulsions by 2002.

Home Office minister Charles Clarke, who announced the cash scheme today, said: "There is a very clear link between truancy, exclusion, bullying and crime and we are determined to get to the cause of the problem and learn how to tackle it."

Schools had to bid for the cash earlier in the year, showing how they would take on a whole new school approach to attendance and behaviour issues. It is hoped schemes introduced in schools will go hand in hand with new fines of £2,500 aimed at parents who do not ensure their children attend school in the Government's bid to drive down

truancy.

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