A WOMAN who failed to send her two teenage children to school could face jail.
The Huddersfield mum ignored a parenting order intended to get her children to school, Kirklees magistrates were told yesterday.
The mum, who cannot be named for legal reasons, refused to co-operate with Kirklees Council education officials.
Between January and June this year her teenage son did not attend school at all and his teenage sister only went 15 times.
Kirklees magistrates imposed an order under section 39 of the Children and Young Persons Act to ban identification of the children. That meant the mother could not be named.
The woman, who was not represented in court, told magistrates she could not force her son to go to school.
“He is a teenage lad,” she said. “There’s no way I can drag him out of bed and into a car.”
The woman admitted two offences of failing to ensure her children attended school and six offences of failing to comply with the requirements of a parenting order.
Mr Michael McCabe, prosecuting for Kirklees Council, told the court that between January 16 and June 22 the children could have attended school on 182 occasions.
Her son did not attend at all and her daughter went 15 times.
The woman had previously been convicted for failing to send her children to school and a parenting order had been issued.
Mr McCabe said: “The boy has not attended a single session at school since the order was made.
“The defendant has consistently and wilfully failed to comply with the parenting order.”
Mr McCabe said the woman was letting down her children and had ignored an order meant to ensure the teenagers received some education.
Addressing the magistrates, Mr McCabe added: “The council would ask you to reinforce to this defendant the seriousness of the situation and the effect this is having on the children’s life chances.”
Asked in court why she had not sent her children to school the woman said: “It’s very difficult.
“I am trying hard to get them to school.”
The mum, wearing a grey hoodie, appeared in court yesterday afternoon from the cells.
A warrant for her arrest had been issued after she failed to turn up in court.
Chairman of the bench Mr Richard Barker wanted an immediate probation report to be compiled so that the woman could be sentenced straightaway.
However the woman told the court she couldn’t stay – as she had to collect two other children from school.
Magistrates said a custodial sentence could not be ruled out but the woman was released on conditional bail.
She will be sentenced on November 27.
