Mum in court docket over youngsters’ college attendance stated son was drained after ‘gaming all evening’
Karen Jones, 32, said her son found it difficult to wake up in the morning after gaming all night and only managed just 10 attendances out of a possible 108 school sessions
A single mum from Cardiff has faced sentencing at court due to her children’s appalling school attendance record. Karen Jones, 32, couldn’t get her son to attend classes because he was playing video games until the early hours and found it difficult to wake up in the morning, Cardiff Magistrates’ Court was told this week.
Jones, from Willows Avenue, has been slapped with £384 in costs and fines plus a community order for failing to ensure her son and elder daughter attended school.
The court was told in her defence that the lone parent found it challenging to manage her children and was battling to cope. After admitting guilt to two charges of not ensuring her son and daughter went to school, Jones explained that her daughter had now exceeded the legal school age for attendance but confirmed her son was now going to classes, reports Wales Online.
Duringthe hearing, the court was informed that between September 2022 and October 2022, Jones’ daughter – who was of compulsory school age then – only turned up four times.
From April 17, 2023 to July 10, 2023, her son managed just 10 attendances out of a possible 108 school sessions. This resulted in “significant education loss for both pupils”, prosecutor Sarah Cole stated.
Despite education officials and the school attempting to work alongside the family, Ms Jones failed to respond to telephone calls or provide explanations for her children’s absences.
The court heard that her son was gaming all night and then found it difficult to wake up in the morning. He refused to attend school, his mother couldn’t handle him and when an education officer visited the house, he stated his reason for not attending school as “I don’t want to”.
Ellis Worsley, defending Jones at Tuesday’s hearing, mentioned that she had expressed remorse during a meeting at the school. The single mum hadn’t received any assistance from her son’s father in getting him to school and also grappled with coping and alcohol issues, the court heard.
Jones informed the court that her son was now going to school and understood that his failure to attend school was the reason she was in court. He aspired to attend college and enroll in a bricklaying course, the court heard.
Magistrates imposed a 12-month community order on Jones. She was also slapped with a £120 fine and ordered to participate in a nine-month alcohol treatment programme and a 15-day rehabilitation activity.
She must also pay a £114 government surcharge and a £150 council fine, totalling £384.
Nigel Buckland, chair of the bench, urged Jones to take advantage of all the help offered, cautioning her that she could face jail time for failing to send a child to school and if she failed to comply with the community order, she would be hauled back to court and could also face imprisonment.
