A 40-year-old South Ockendon mother appeared at Basildon Magistrates Court on Tuesday (8 April) admitting the poor school attendance of her three children.
The mother, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, received a 52-day prison sentence in respect of the two older children – aged 15 and 16 years.
The court also imposed a 12 month conditional discharge in respect of the younger child, aged seven.
The family have been known to Thurrock Council’s Education Welfare Service since 2008.
The court heard the oldest child had not been at school at all in one 100-day period, the 15-year old attended 42 sessions out of 88 – just 48 per cent – and the youngest child went to 90 sessions out of 128, a 70 per cent attendance.
The mother had also been prosecuted last year when magistrates imposed a suspended prison sentence. That was activated on Tuesday.
This is the third time the council has prosecuted the mother for the older children, and the first time for the younger child.
