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Truant’s mum at end of tether
Damon Wilkinson15/12/2006
A MOTHER taken to court and fined for not sending her son to school has made a desperate plea for help.
Susan Powell says her 14-year-old's persistent truancy is wrecking her life.
Susan, a single mother who suffered two strokes at the start of the year, has cut down her hours at work to fit in his with education, escorted him to school and even offered to sit in his classes at Hollingworth Business and Enterprise College.
Now the mother-of-five is desperate for assistance.
She said: "I have tried everything. I have escorted him to school and watched him through the doors only for him to run round the back and jump over the wall.
"I have grounded him, reduced my hours at work, stopped his pocket money and told him he is not getting any Christmas presents, but it has not made any difference at all," she said.
The home care assistant, of Buckley View, Smallbridge, was fined £100 with £50 costs when she appeared in court a fortnight ago.
"Having to go to court was the most degrading thing I have ever had to do. But I feel as if nobody is willing to help me. It is affecting everything I do," said the 49-year-old.
Her son is currently excluded from Hollingworth College until mid-January. During that time education authorities have offered him a place at a school in Heywood.
But Susan fears the long bus journey will give her youngest son even more opportunities to play truant.
She said: "He is happy when he gets excluded because he does not have to go to school, but it is not doing his education any good.
"I need support from the education authorities because I feel they should be trying to do something to help me and my son rather than just casting us aside."
Janet Vinter, education welfare service manager, said: "We cannot comment on individual cases, but any pupil excluded from school for more than 16 days is offered a place at Darnhill Study Centre as a temporary arrangement so that their school work is not disrupted.
"We work closely with families throughout this time to offer them help and support. Often we will have been working with these families for a number of years and we are always willing to sit down and talk about any further problems they have."
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22/12/2006 at 10:28
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29/12/2006 at 20:49