Mother faces jail for depressed teenager's truanting

The mother of a teenage boy who refuses to attend school has been warned she could face jail for his persistent truanting.

Deborah Leigh said her son Joel, 14, was "clinically depressed" but had received no help from Aston School in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, or the local education authority, which issued the warning.

She claimed her son's depression started when his father, Chris, a haulier, received an eight-year jail sentence last year for drug smuggling – a crime Mrs Leigh says he did not commit. The family's case echoes that of Patricia Amos, the Oxfordshire woman jailed by Banbury magistrates in May for failing to ensure her two youngest daughters attended school.

Mrs Leigh, 43, a surgery practice manager, greeted Rotherham LEA's warning, that she faced fines or a jail term, with defiance. She said the school and the council should have done more to help her family.

The LEA has sent two letters to the mother-of-three telling her she has a legal duty to ensure her son attends school, as he had "probably" only attended two full days since last September. But the authority has also allowed him to arrive at 10am each day in a bid to encourage him to turn up.

Mrs Leigh said her son started leaving lessons after his father was jailed by Canterbury Crown Court over cannabis found in his lorry on a return trip from Spain. Joel had seen a psychiatrist who believed he was suffering from "guilt" over his father's sentence, she said.

A Department for Education and Skills spokeswoman said: "While we can't comment on individual cases we have made clear that all children have a right to education and parents have a duty to ensure their children are educated.

"We fully support parents who are trying to improve their child's attendance, but make no apology for getting tough with parents who are aware of their child's truancy, and take no reasonable steps to rectify this. Sanctions will only be applied as a last resort when all other avenues have been exhausted."