School Leaders Scotland (SLS), a union representing secondary heads, called for alternative strategies after it emerged that one council had failed to secure convictions in more than 95 per cent of court cases.
In the last five years education officials at North Lanarkshire have taken 74 parents to court after their children failed to attend school but only three parents have been convicted.
Since 2008 no convictions have been secured out of 43 court cases.
Ken Cunningham, general secretary of SLS, said: “We would like to see local authorities being able to adopt a more flexible approach, rather than being in the position of pursuing court every time or never being able to use the courts.”
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