SOME Tasmanian public schools are failing to tell parents for up to three months their children, some secretly skipping school, were absent from class, according to the State School Parents and Friends Association.

The group's concerns follow a push by the Federal Government to cut family welfare payments to parents for up to three months if their children routinely skip school.

SSPAFA and Anglicare Tasmania say the move, initially being trialled in two other states, is ill-conceived and will not curb truancy.

According to the Education Department's 2006-07 annual report, public school truancy rates are climbing in Tasmania, with the daily average school "absentee rate" above eight per cent, in contrast to the three previous years.

SSPAFA president Jenny Branch said yesterday some public schools were tackling truancy by quickly notifying parents about their absent children, while others were not doing enough.

Ms Branch said it was "not acceptable" some parents were given a "print-out" three months after the absenteeism.

More schools should be contacting parents straight away via text message, email and a phone call, she said.

Anglicare chief executive Chris Jones agreed there were better ways to tackle truancy, aside from targeting welfare payments.

"I think we are sentencing the children to further problems," Dr Jones said.

The Education Department said it had a process in place for schools to follow up students who had been absent from school without explanation.

"This can include phone calls, letters, notes home, emails or SMS messages," the department said.