PARENTS who repeatedly fail to ensure their children attend school will face jail time as part of a crackdown on truancy.

For the first time, powers will be granted to the New South Wales Department of Education to ask for court orders forcing parents to enrol their children at school.

And magistrates will be empowered to impose jail sentences for parents of habitual truants and fine them up to $10,000.

In a further plank to a major education reforms, which began earlier this year with the lifting of the school age to 16, the State Government will beef up laws to ensure all children in NSW are enrolled in school, and punish the parents of habitual truants.

NSW Premier Morris Iemma, who announced the reforms today, said it was time that the issue of school enrolments and truancy became one of parental responsibility.

The new laws include:

* Allowing independent medical experts to assess if a child is too sick to be enrolled;

* New powers to the Department of Education to seek court orders to enforce children to be enrolled;

* Provision for home instruction to children too sick to attend;

* Issuing court orders to force parents of truants to undergo drug rehabilitation;

* Requirements that non-Government schools to advise of unsatisfactory attendance and;

* Providing jail terms for parents who flout court orders.

"We'll take action against parents who fail to either enrol their children in school or ensure they attend regularly," Mr Iemma said.