IT HAS one of the highest truancy rates in Southampton. Now Millbrook Comm-unity School is about to launch a £150,000 project to keep youngsters in lessons.

Nearly two per cent of pupils at the Green Lane secondary school skipped classes in 2003, making it one of the biggest truancy problems in the city according to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Youth Options worker Mark Dixon.

He's launching the project, which aims to work with more than 200 young people each year, encouraging them to stick with education.

"Our aim is to support the young people to help them understand that they need to change their life for the better," he said.

"When they succeed and start attending school, working hard and stop getting into trouble, their success will also benefit their families, peers, the school and the wider community."

Two new youth workers will be employed by Youth Options to deal with up to 25 youngsters at a time, who have been referred by the school, police or social services.

They will be taken for special lessons in and out of school, as well as sessions in sports, outdoor activities, drama, music and art to try to improve their self-esteem.

The aim is to give their learning skills a boost, cut antisocial behaviour and reduce the rate of truancy.

The ambitious scheme has been paid for by the Outer Shirley regeneration money-pot, which includes Millbrook.

Awarding the grant, chairman of the board Dave Meehan said: "We have invested a great deal of regeneration money in improving facilities for the whole community, but it is pointless if new play areas just get vandalised and covered with graffiti.

"We realise that one of the ways to tackle this is to work with the problem-makers and encourage them to change their behaviour."