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Anger as son’s truancy puts mother in dock
‘Help us keep children in school’ urges mum who faces trial
AN ANGRY mother-of-five has criticised Camden’s education department for putting her in the dock over her son’s truancy.
Errant Hampstead School pupil Dominic Burton, 14, refused to believe his mother when she told him she could be prosecuted for his truant behaviour.
So he used sneak back home, hide his shoes and hole himself up in his bedroom, while his mother, Sophie was at her college nursing course. Over the course of the last school year, Dominic’s attendance fell to 62 per cent.
Now single parent Ms Burton, of Westcroft Close, West Hampstead, faces trial in January for failing to ensure her son attends school.
Ms Burton, 37, who pleaded not guilty at a hearing at Highbury Corner Magistrates earlier this month, told the court: “That year I decided to go to college. I have five children.
“I found out my son was leaving to go to school and sneaking back. I double locked the house to stop him going back in. I tried everything I could. He wouldn’t believe I would get into trouble for this.”
Ms Burton is calling on Camden Council to make better use of its resources to support parents who can’t control their children’s truancy, rather than “waste” money on costly prosecutions.
She said: “I don’t think parents should be made to go to court, they should be given all the support possible. How much does it cost to get them to court? Wouldn’t it be better spent giving parents help?”
Ms Burton said: “The school started talking to me about what I could do to make him stop. They suggested I take his keys away and walking him to school. I took his keys but sometimes he would break back into the house – he wouldn’t believe it would go this far. I couldn’t walk him to school, I have four small kids.”
She added: “I gave up college to ensure he went to school. I couldn’t get a job or anything.”
Then this September Ms Burton was told she was facing legal action. Although she says she ensured her son attended school every day in the new school year, except for two days absence with flu, she said the council continued with the prosecution.
She said: “At first I was told they wouldn’t take legal action if his attendance was 90 per cent but he had two days of for flu and it fell to 88 per cent.”
Ms Burton has praised the school’s head of year for her help but had harsh words for Camden’s education policy.
She said: “All the different boroughs have different rules. Camden’s guideline is 90 per cent attendance but in others it’s 50 per cent. There should be one rule for whole of London or England.
“I haven’t been told what the maximum penalty is. I know parents have been jailed for this. It’s disgusting to jail parents. There are some children that no matter what you do, will not go to school.
“Responsibility should be shared equally between parents, the school and the education authority. There should be more getting together and talking about it, trying to tell child why they ought to attend to school. But no matter how much talking, there are still children who won’t go to school.”
A Camden Council spokesman confirmed 12 prosecutions are underway but said legal action is a “last resort”.
He said: “Pupils playing truant are jeopardising their education and, with it, their futures. Where a pupil’s attendance drops below 80 per cent the case is referred to our education welfare team who work with the school, parents and child to resolve any issues relating to the attendance level. Camden Council offers a lot of support and help to parents and is using a wide range of initiatives to improve attendance.”
Other truancy prevention measures include: issuing fixed penalties of between £50 and £100, rising to £1,000 and a criminal conviction if not paid, parenting contracts, mentoring, supporting vulnerable pupils in Year 7, and incentives. |
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