GREENWICH Council has been awarded £1.4m to tackle truancy.

The Government cash is for a pilot scheme which will run until at least 2006 and currently focuses on Crown Woods, Abbey Wood, Kidbrooke and John Roan secondary schools.

The initiative aims to reduce the numbers of pupils excluded from schools, reduce truancy and cut down on youth crime.

Youngsters who improve their behaviour will be awarded with incentives including a scheme called On the Ball, which offers special football coaching to students.

Parents and carers who persist on keeping their children out of education could find themselves in court.

Rapid advances in technology are also helping the council beat truants.

By the end of the year, 10 out of 14 secondary schools in the borough will have electronic registration giving them instant access to attendance records.

And websites for parents to log onto daily to check whether their children have turned up could be the next stage of the initiative.

Councillor Peter Kotz, cabinet member for education, said: "We want to work with parents and carers to make sure they are best supported in getting their children to school but we will not shrink from taking robust action where necessary."