Lanyon High School principal Bill Thompson wants to stop local shops serving his truant pupils.

The teacher of 32 years is telling the shops to refuse to serve them or risk losing the business of their parents.

He wants signs in all nearby shops saying students will be refused service during school hours.

Names of shops helping his anti-wagging campaign will be published in the school newsletter. Businesses continuing to serve pupils in school times will be omitted.

The outspoken educator said at least seven stores selling food had agreed to do their best to turn students away in school hours. Mr Thompson has not had complete success though.

He was yet to hear back from Subway, whose owners live 300km away in Sydney, and he said another business, Kingsley's Chicken, had refused.

The principal said the owner of the chicken outlet at Lanyon Marketplace in Conder sent him an email saying he needed to find another way of ''making the students responsible for their own actions''. The owners of Kingsley's could not be contacted.

Mr Thompson said anyone knowingly serving one of his 640 students in school hours was aiding truancy. ''It's the law. Students under 17 are in school or some form of training,'' Mr Thompson said.

''In Sydney there are signs up saying 'we will not serve students'.''

For more on this story, including the list of seven food stores that have agreed to do their best to turn students away during school hours, see the print edition of today's Canberra Times.