Cases were heard at Magistrates’ Courts in Eastbourne and Hastings as part of the County Council’s drive to prosecute parents who continually ignore their child’s absence from school and fail to co-operate with Education Welfare staff to resolve problems.
In Eastbourne, two parents received a 12 month conditional discharge and will be back in court if their child continues to be absent from school. Magistrates have also ordered them to pay court costs of £30 each to the Children’s Services Authority.
A third parent was sentenced to a two year conditional discharge with court costs of £100 awarded to the Children’s Services Authority.
In Hastings, a parent received a 12 month conditional discharge and will be back in court if their two children continue to be absent from school. Magistrates have ordered them to pay court costs of £100 to the Children’s Services Authority.
Councillor Rupert Simmons, Lead Member for Learning and School Effectiveness said: "We are committed to helping children in East Sussex achieve a high standard of education, to give them the best start in life possible. But we need parents and carers working with us to make this happen.
"Our Education Welfare Service provides advice and support to parents and carers who may have problems with their child’s school attendance. But we will also use strong measures to enforce this, including penalty notices, truancy sweeps and prosecuting parents who continually allow their children to miss school.”
The Education Welfare Service contacts parents offering guidance and support when school attempts to resolve poor attendance fails. Legal options are only pursued if children remain out of school and parents fail to co-operate to resolve the problem.
Notes to editors
Parents who fail to ensure their child’s regular attendance at school can be prosecuted according to the Education Act 1996.
For more information contact Penny Lavan at the County Council’s Education Welfare Service on 01273 481877.
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