21 hours Ago By [email protected] (Gareth Lightfoot)
A mum has faced sentence for her fourth conviction for failing to send her child to school after she was found to show "parental apathy" to his education. The woman ended up at Teesside Magistrates' Court after her teenage son went to school on just two out of 84 occasions between May and July last year. The boy went on to attend 15 sessions out of 144 during the following autumn term, with some 124 unauthorised absences.
Lucy Steven, prosecuting for Stockton Council , said the boy was found to be missing almost all his education. His rate of absences went as high as 86% and 97%, she told magistrates. The boy's mother failed to turn up to an attendance conference, said Ms Steven.
Officers said there were no special educational needs and no safeguarding referral submitted to social services. A six-week support plan was arranged during a home visit, but the teenager was absent 58 times out of 60 in that period between May and July, the court heard. Concerns were raised by social workers and the mother's probation worker over her "lack of engagement" and missed appointments.
Ms Steven said: "It was noted that there was parental apathy towards education and [the boy's] continued chronic absence." She told how the mother had three previous convictions for the same offence. The mum was given community orders in 2018, 2021 and 2023 for those similar offences, and was still under a two-year community order when she appeared in court this time.
The mum, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was in court for sentence after she admitted failing to ensure her child's regular school attendance between May and July last year. Paul Dixon, defending, said: "It's clear from reading the report that there are a number of issues relating to my client and the family circumstances, in particular domestic violence and things of that nature. "She thinks she was contacted in October last year and told that there wouldn't be any more probation intervention for her because of the overcrowding in prison and people coming out of prison.
A number of people's orders were effectively stopped, or certainly any support or appointments were stopped, she thinks that happened in October. "Certainly at this stage some support would be welcome," he added, saying she deserved credit for her guilty plea. He asked magistrates to follow a probation officer's recommendation for another community order.
Paul McGowan, chairing the magistrates' bench, did so, telling the defendant: "This is not the first time clearly that you've been in court for this problem. This goes back to 2018. "Whatever you may feel about education, in this country it is a fundamental responsibility of parents to make sure their children go to school, and that's what the court believes.
"You're currently on a community order, which we're going to remove. We're going to make a new 24-month community order including 35 rehabilitation activity requirement days." He added the most important person was her son: "That's what we're thinking about, the most important person, so please engage.
" The woman was also ordered to pay £150 costs and a £114 surcharge. Teesside Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community. Through the app, we'll send you the latest breaking news, top stories, exclusives and much more straight to your phone.
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