BBC's Kilroy programme persuaded a Southampton teenager to skip school - to appear in a television debate about truancy.

Now city education chiefs have slammed the producers of the programme - hosted by former Labour MP Robert Kilroy-Silk (pictured) - for going against a head teacher's wishes to speak to the boy.

They say his absence was unauthorised and are considering a complaint to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission.

The 14-year-old, who has a history of persistent truancy, took part in a studio discussion yesterday, along with his mother.

The recording, due to be screened as early as tomorrow, involved former truants advising him against taking time off, but officials say he did not have permission to be away from school.

Peter Lewis, head of children and family services at Southampton's education directorate, said: "It's a perverse thing to do, knowing that the kid has a problem. This is an unauthorised absence and it's ironic beyond the pale.

"The 'wow' factor in missing school to go to a television studio is enormous. It's so seductive.

"The fact that it's a filmed programme and that it could have been scheduled for half-term next week says to me that they have a callous disregard for what is in his best interests."

Mr Lewis said he was contacted by the head teacher who was worried about approaches from the programme, and then he spoke to the producers himself.

He said: "I explained that taking the boy out of school would only add to his difficulties and that giving him celebrity status because of things he is doing wrong seems wholly perverse. They agreed not to go ahead but they then went back to the head to put pressure on her to release the boy.

"We are investigating whether to make a complaint to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission."

The boy has been a chronic truant for several years. His head teacher revealed that since Easter he has not completed a full week at school.

During some weeks he has only turned up for one or two days. The school and education welfare services have worked closely with the teenager and his family in a bid to boost his attendance.

But the head teacher said: "The family has actively worked against us and supported the boy.

"This raises the whole question of parental responsibility for ensuring a child attends school - an issue which the government is now raising the profile of.

"The producers should have seen our point of view that any such television discussion about truancy should not be made during a school day."

Programme editor David O'Keefe said: "We were aware that the head teacher was not keen for him to come on, but his mother was.

"She felt that him meeting former truants who had regretted what they had done might get to him in a way that neither she nor the school were able to.

"We did consider very carefully any negative effect on him, and had he been put under any great disadvantage then we wouldn't have done it."

Mr O'Keefe said a decision on when to screen the programme would be made later today, but it was most likely to go out tomorrow.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.