Truant son's poor attendance lands mother in court

A mum escorted her teenage son to school '“ but he often jumped over the wall after she left, a court was told.
Blackpool Magistrates CourtBlackpool Magistrates Court
Blackpool Magistrates Court

Natasha Desjardins said her son would then go home and get into the address after she went to work.

Desjardins, 33, of Lytham Road, South Shore, pleaded guilty to failing to ensure a child’s regular attendance at school.

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She was fined £40 with £60 costs and ordered to pay £20 victims surcharge by Blackpool magistrate.

Nicola Morgan, prosecuting for Blackpool Council, said between September 21 last year and January 28 this year Desjardins 15-year-old son was a pupil at Education Diversity. He attended on 39 out of 136 occasions and had an attendance rate of 28 percent. Desjardins had told the pupil welfare officer she had tried to solve the problem and taken her son to school but he then left. Desjardins also said she had had a number of conversations with her son telling him she could get in trouble because of his behaviour.

Howard Green, defending, said his client believed education was very important and her daughter had a 100 percent school attendance record.

Desjardins would physically take her son to the school, but he would go over the wall before registration and she did not know what more she could have done.

Five weeks ago her son had moved schools and now had an attendance rate above 90 percent.