PARENTS of pupils at a top Merseyside school have been warned they must pay for their children’s exams if they fail to get them to class.

The no-nonsense approach has been adopted at St Edward’s College, in Sandfield Park, near West Derby, as part of a successful anti-truancy drive.

Confirming the policy, principal John Waszek said it was more of a deterrent than a punishment but admitted he had already enforced the rule on a “handful” of occasions.

The scheme, he said, was particularly aimed at sixth formers to ensure their studies did not “drop off” after their GCSEs.

Under the regime, parents are told that the college, awarded a hat-trick of outstanding Ofsted reports, is not prepared to fund the cost of examination entries of any student who fails to chalk up a minimum 95% attendance rate since the start of the academic year.

The rule takes into account extenuating circumstances such as funerals and sickness.

But parents who pull their children out of class for invalid reasons such as bargain term-time holidays are warned they face a bill of around £200, should the attendance rate dip below the college’s above city average attendance rate of 95%.

Mr Waszek said the “lawful” policy was “one strand of a concerted message” to promote good attendance which also includes making late pupils wait in corridors until the end of registration and an automatic three hour detention for pupils missing a lesson without good reason.