From skiving to studying

Mia Pickup, 14, and Tegan Spencer, 15, used to skive school so much they would bump into each other while truanting.

Tegan said: “I used to forget to set the alarm clock so I’d be late. I would escape through a hole in the fence at school. I was skiving in a garden once when I saw Mia!”

The duo are now on a training programme, at the Rathbone Centre in Huddersfield, which aims to educate young people to return to education and prepare for the world of work.

Mia, who hopes to train as a hairdresser, said: “I didn’t like school. I don’t think I went a week without being excluded.”

Tegan is now planning for a career in tourism.

The girls, both 15, used to attend Mirfield Free Grammar School.

Rathbone Centre manager Rechelle Boothroyd added: “There are no excuses for missing an education but there are reasons.

“But with a bit of added encouragement, young people like Mia and Tegan can totally transform their lives and I predict a bright future for both of them.”

For more information visit www.rathboneuk.org.