A MOTHER prosecuted for her daughter’s truancy has told a court how she and two others battled each morning to wake the teenager up for school.
Amanda Summers, who is on Jobseeker’s Allowance, was ordered to pay £100 after being prosecuted by Staffordshire County Council.
Burton Magistrates’ Court was told the mother of four, of South Broadway Street, Burton, was hand delivered a warning letter by the education welfare office on March 26, stating that her 14-year-old daughter must attend Abbot Beyne High School, in Winshill, between April 26 and May 25.
The teenager, however, failed to attend 152 sessions with an appalling attendance record of only 38.2 per cent.
Summers, 41, was issued a fixed penalty notice at the end of June, which she failed to pay.
The defendant was not represented by a solicitor in court and burst into tears when magistrates asked her if she had anything to say about the matter.
“I try booking her taxis to school but she just jumps them,” she said.
“I try getting her up every morning with the help of two others, but she just can’t get up. When she does get up, she’s got a habit of only going to school in the morning and bunking off in the afternoon.
“The main problem is actually getting her up. She has been referred by the doctor to Cross Street Clinic to see if there is something wrong with her.
“Its not like she even goes to bed late at night, but she can’t sleep.
“I’ve tried everything and nothing seems to make any difference.”
Summers said she forgot to pay the fixed penalty notice due to ‘stress’ from the situation.
She admitted a charge of failing to ensure her child attends school regularly.
Presiding magistrate Christine Warburton said: “She is causing you stress and costing you financially. This financial burden will only increase unless she attends school.”
Summers was fined £35, reduced from £50 for her early admissions. She was also ordered to pay £50 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge.
