A MOTHER faces the threat of jail and must fork out almost £500 for persistently failing to send her child to school.

The mum, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was successfully prosecuted by Southend Council at the magistrates’ court and was handed a 10-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months.

This means she could be sent straight to prison if her son does not go to school.

The conviction came after her son repeatedly failed to attend a school in Southend for seven months in the school year of 2011/12.

Despite the council trying to bring charges against her for years, the woman, from Shoebury, repeatedly failed to attend court or respond to summons, leading to delays in conviction.

As a result, she was also charged with failing to surrender to custody having been released on bail in 2016, which added an additional two weeks to her sentence.

She was also ordered to pay £459 in costs and surcharges.

Council leader John Lamb said: “This court case relates to a long-standing and repeat case of a parent in Southend failing to ensure her child attended school.

“Making sure your child attends school is one of the most basic duties that any parent must carry out.

“Persistent absence is a significant factor in children underachieving and is simply not acceptable. The council has undertaken much work in this area in recent years and with all cases of non-attendance we will always first look to improve the situation by working with the school and parents, especially where complex needs are identified.

“However where there are no good reasons provided for the absences, we will take firm action as this case shows.

“The reason for the apparent six-year delay was due to the parent in question repeatedly failing to appear and arrest warrants having to be issued.

“When the parent finally appeared at court, she was issued with a 12-week suspended sentence, the severity of which reflects the ongoing poor attendance record of her child and two previous convictions for the same offence.

“This sentence sends a clear message that the legal system takes a harsh view of parents who deliberately deny their children an education.

“I would like to thank council officers for putting the interests of the child first and bringing this case forward.”