Mum in court over truant daughter
Thursday 30th April 2009, 9:29AM BST.
Shrewsbury Magistrates Court
A Shrewsbury mother whose 15-year-old daughter has not attended school since September has been spared an immediate prison sentence despite claiming a custodial term would be a “nice rest” from her problems at home.
The 35-year-old mum, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a suspended jail term at Shrewsbury Magistrates Court yesterday after admitting failing to send her daughter to school.
She was given a 28-day jail term, suspended for 12 months, and given a 12-month supervision order. She must also carry out 40 hours of unpaid community work and pay £100 costs.
Mr Mike Davies, prosecuting on behalf of Shropshire Council, said the girl had not attended school at all since September.
Mr Davies said the mother had failed to attend appointments with welfare officers who were concerned about the child’s education.
He said experts were convinced the girl was fit to go to school even though she was on mild medication for depression.
Mr Martin Rogerson, for the mother, said his client had told him she “didn’t really care” whether she was sent to jail because “it would be a break for me”.
He said she had four children and she was struggling to cope with various problems at home.
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I cannot beleive that there is anything to gain by bullying parents who have problems getting their children to school. I am disgusted with this system.
None of my three children have had a positive experience of secondary school and they were all well behaved, intelligent pupils that would have passed 11+ in the old system.
Many teachers are on pay that is equal to doctors, lawyers or self employed business people working long hours rather than consistent with nurses, local government officers, police constables etc.The hours worked have enabled quite a few I know to hold down second jobs though in general they are the better teachers knowing a bit more about the world than classroom life.
This not publicly revealed generous pay is not reflected in ability to do the job well either and it is not surprising that many teachers can afford and see the need themselves to send their children to private schools.
I feel really sorry for this mother and have known many like her who have been manipulated by the council and schools.
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eva land,
With a son who is a teacher, a daughter who is a nurse/midwife and a nephew who is a Policeman can you answer a question or two on the following comment of yours:-
Many teachers are on pay that is equal to doctors, lawyers or self employed business people working long hours rather than consistent with nurses, local government officers, police constables etc.The hours worked have enabled quite a few I know to hold down second jobs though in general they are the better teachers knowing a bit more about the world than classroom life.
1. Apart from Headteachers in charge of massive schools, what ordinary, common or garden teacher of the kind that would teach your children get pay in line with Doctors, lawyers etc?
2. Just how many ordinary, common or garden teachers of the kind likely to teach your children have second jobs, don’t be reticent and be truthful.
3. Please spell out in factual terms, the “generous” pay that you appear to know much about.
4. How many common or garden teachers of the kind likely to teach your children do you know that can afford AND IN FACT DO send their children to private schools.
5. To what do you attribute the fact that your THREE children have not had a positive experience of Secondary School, neither have very many more, YET, very, very many more have had a totally positive experience of school.
6. What do you suggest is the answer for a situation similar to that outlined above.
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This poor mother needs our sympathy, not punishment. This is all that is wrong with our once great nation.
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This lady could have is she wished educated her child at home .Clearly she did not wish to do this either. I have 5 family members who teach at home and they have done so for over 7 years with much success it is always an option although not raved about by the powers that be.
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There is help available for young people who have difficulty attending school but it is very hard to get the limited places available and a lot more productive it seems giving someone a criminal record.
My daughter’s friend ‘s father was fined and after putting up a good fight didn’t have to pay it eventually but all the stress didn’t help the situation one iota.
Stuart: my sister in law is a midwife, my bro a GP, his daughter and son in law, police officers, my sister a Consultant Psychiatrist, her daughter and son in law GPs, my twin a music teacher, sister’s husband retired Head of Mathmatics at 6th form college shall I go on?
Where are the pay scales for teachers who are after all Local Authority employed? Why should they be able to keep them private?
Why do they moan about marking homework taking 2 hrs when they are watching TV at the sametime! lol
Why are so many councillors either teachers or retired teachers or self employed business people? Do they have more control over the hours in a day they work than most folk?
There should be more help for young people with problems not punishment of parents. We have had a spate of tragic and probably preventable suicides this year of teens just in Shrewsbury.
What sort of message do parents get being punished for their children’s problems? There’s no tribunal for being bullied at work for parents it’s a job without pay.
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eva land, with that sort of family it is a pity you should have to resort to such an ill founded diatribe of unmitigated rubbish without one shred of factual evidence to support your claims.
You now compound it with:-
“Where are the pay scales for teachers who are after all Local Authority employed? Why should they be able to keep them private?.
Let me tell you where to get the teachers pay scales from:-
(a) your twin, a music teacher.
(b) your brother in law, a retired Head of Maths at a 6th Form College or
(c) off the internet, or, if you are really concerned, get in touch with the Salop LEA
There is nothing “private” or secret about the teaching professions pay scales as you well know if your family connections are as you say.
Seeing as you appear to “sit in” with teachers watching TV when they are marking papers for two hours, I would have thought your information was a little more factual than your ill founded “lambast”. lol.
I am also a parent and you are not the only one with an opinion on the subject but what others don’t do is tear into teachers who invariably get caught in the middle of a families problems.
You tell us how much your brother earns as a GP and I will tell you how much my son earns as a teacher, YOU SAID THAT THEY WERE THE SAME, want to put it to the test.?
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Mother of 4 goes in for 12-month custodial sentence due to 15-year old daughters truancy. 4-kids enter the care system (at great epxense to the tax-payer) and a family – all be it not the ideal role model – is torn apart. Mother states jail would be a nice break fromo her problems – if ever there was a cry for help that is it – let’s hope she is getting supported before something tragic happens.
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Stuart – if you can remember that far back – when you and I were in school in Shropshire the school leaving age for the majority of kids was 15. For most of us there was no chance of continuing after that. So why are they putting this poor mother in jail? And why don’t students today have other options than the mediocre education provided by government schools?
Furthermore why not spend the time and money on incarcerating people who commit real crimes?
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Stuart,
I’m with you on this one. GPs these days earn around £100,000 per annum. There are no teachers who earn that sort of money.
Many will earn more than junior police officers, but then you need better entry qualifications to be a teacher than to be a police officer – supply and demand comes into it.
As you’ve pointed out, salaries of public sector workers are typically not over generous when qualifications are taken into account, and the salary scales are open and available to anyone who cares to look. In fact research has indicated that the typical salary for a secondary school teacher with 20 years’ experience is around £32000 pa, somewhat less than a third of what GPs are paid.
A police constable’s pay can reach up to about £35000 with sufficiently long service – so quite similar to teachers.
Don’t you wish that people would do a little research before publishing their comments? Just Google ‘Teacher’s pay’ and there’s loads of information.
As for the mother in this case – I’ve no sympathy for her – she appears like too many parents to be willing to abdicate her responsibilities to the state.
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Tony,
Yes, I think we clarified this once before, indeed, did we not think we went to the same school at the same time. I have an open mind on this, but I shouldn’t think court and prosecution is the first option to the authorities. I would think that they had tried every other option before bringing out the big stick. On the other hand, if parents have used every avenue open to them to get children to school and they still, habitually play “hookey”, then it is time for strong sanctions against the children in my book.
Totally agree Peter, if you ask me the comments of eva land are consistent with what we termed in the army, “swinging the lights” to support a silly comment. Unfortunately some gullible people will read such comments and believe them, teachers on the same salary as Doctors and Lawyers indeed.
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