PARENTS and teachers may soon be able to keep track of youngsters through satellite tags in their uniforms.

East Lancashire specialist clothing company Trutex is considering incorporating global positioning (GP) tracking devices into school uniforms, after a survey showed that many parents would support the idea.

Trutex, based in Clitheroe, said 59 per cent of parents said they would be interested in having some form of tracking device included in uniforms, which could lead to tags being sewn into blazers, and waistbands of trousers and skirts.

If a child got lost or went missing, the GP tag would allow parents and schools to find out exactly where they are through signals sent from multiple satellites, the same system used in car navigation. Trutex say this would not only give parents peace of mind, it would also help the battle against truancy.

The pioneering plan has divided opinion, with critics saying it would give parents "a false sense of security".

Trutex carried out the survey following the high profile abduction of four-year-old Madeleine McCann and an increased concern for child safety.

Marketing director Clare Rix said: "As well as being a safety net for parents, there could be real benefits for schools who could keep a closer track on the whereabouts of their pupils, potentially reducing truancy levels."

Many primary school age pupils surveyed also said they would be happy to have a tracking device in their uniforms, saying that they would feel much safer when their parents knew exactly where they are.

The survey also showed that young people aged over 13 were much less keen on the idea, something which comes as no surprise to Robin Campbell, headteacher of Blackburn's Pleckgate High School Mathematics and Computing College.

Mr Campbell said: "I could well understand this idea for primary schoolchildren, although security procedures schools now have are pretty stringent, but I can't see older pupils going for it at all - if it was brought in I could well envisage items of clothing being discarded!

"It's certainly an interesting development, but it does strike me as being a bit Big Brother', and don't think it would be something Pleckgate would bring in soon."

As well as the Orwellian overtones, other concerns include those of children protection charity the NSPCC, which said the idea needs "careful consideration".

A spokesperson said: "The use of such devices could give children and parents a false feeling of security as they would only serve to track down the uniform - not the child."

Lancashire County Council's cabinet member for schools, Coun Vali Patel, said: "There is no substitute for instiling a sense of responsibility and awareness in young people and developing a trusting relationship between them and their parents and teachers."

Trutex, currently believed to the only UK company developing the product, said it was too early to say how exactly the device would function, but amongst the ideas being looked at are making the tag either removable or machine washable.