So, that was a good idea then!!!!!
Discussion
Embarrassed officials watch as court fails to convict parents
A "fast-track" scheme promoted by the government as a way of cracking down on the parents of persistent truants suffered a serious setback yesterday.
Ten parents were expected to be dealt with by magistrates under the scheme at the first "truancy court" which was being held in Grays, Essex.
However, to the fury of local education officials and amid chaotic scenes, none of the cases were concluded, making a mockery of the idea that they were being "fast-tracked".
Education officials looked on embarrassed as only four of the parents turned up and the cases against some of them were postponed for as long as five weeks.
To make matters worse, one parent who did appear used the occasion to launch an attack on the school her daughter was supposed to attend - claiming drug dealing and bullying was rife - and on the education system in general.
Sandra Fletcher, principal officer for inclusion at Thurrock council, who was in charge of bringing the cases, admitted afterwards the day had been a "failure".
She blamed the magistrates for not trying harder to deal with the cases on the spot and said the council would have to consult with the government to find out where it had all gone wrong.
A spokeswoman for the campaign group Parents Against Truancy Orders, Louise Harvey, described it as "a farce".
Her group believes the government's "zero tolerance" policy on truancy is putting more pressure on parents already struggling to cope.
Ms Harvey added: "The government really hasn't thought this through properly. Ivan Lewis (the education minister who is driving the policy) is not in touch with reality."
Ministers announced the "fast-track" scheme in October after truancy sweeps ordered by the government picked up 12,000 children in just four weeks. It is thought 50,000 children truant every day.
Under the scheme, parents have just one term to ensure that their children regularly attend school. They can then be hauled before the courts where they can be jailed for three months or face a fine of up to £2,500. Previously it tended to take many months before cases came to court.
Thurrock was one of the areas chosen to test the scheme. Ten parents the authority claimed had repeatedly failed to make sure their children attended school were told to appear before magistrates yesterday morning.
The first parent up, Tracy Hornsby, 37, pleaded not guilty, telling the magistrates she took her daughter, Toni, 15, out of St Chad's county secondary school in Tilbury, because she had been bullied.
Watched by observers from the Department for Education and Skills, Mrs Hornsby went on to claim drug dealing was common at the school.
Her case was put off until April 2 for a pre-trial review. Outside court she said her daughter, who allegedly only attended around 20 out of 70 school days, was better off being educated at home. "By not sending her to school I'm making sure my daughter gets a good education," she said. "The education system in this country is a mess."
Of the other cases, one father did not turn up because he thought he was due up tomorrow, one woman rang to say she was too ill to come, and another man did not appear apparently because the summons had been sent to a wrong address.
The others either pleaded not guilty, had solicitors indicate they would be denying the charge, or entered no plea.
Outside court Ms Fletcher expressed her frustration. She said: "It's obviously been a failure today. The scheme clearly needs rethinking."
She said the allegations made against St Chad's school were inaccurate, it had suffered problems in the past and security guards had been employed to keep order but she denied that bullying and drug dealing were major problems.
Even before yesterday some teachers expressed reservations about the scheme, suggesting it could criminalise parents struggling to cope.
However its supporters point out that taking strong action does work. Mother-of-five Patricia Amos last year became the first person to be jailed for failing to send her children to school. Since then her children's attendance has improved considerably.
>>> Edited by Mrs Fish on Thursday 27th February 16:38
A "fast-track" scheme promoted by the government as a way of cracking down on the parents of persistent truants suffered a serious setback yesterday.
Ten parents were expected to be dealt with by magistrates under the scheme at the first "truancy court" which was being held in Grays, Essex.
However, to the fury of local education officials and amid chaotic scenes, none of the cases were concluded, making a mockery of the idea that they were being "fast-tracked".
Education officials looked on embarrassed as only four of the parents turned up and the cases against some of them were postponed for as long as five weeks.
To make matters worse, one parent who did appear used the occasion to launch an attack on the school her daughter was supposed to attend - claiming drug dealing and bullying was rife - and on the education system in general.
Sandra Fletcher, principal officer for inclusion at Thurrock council, who was in charge of bringing the cases, admitted afterwards the day had been a "failure".
She blamed the magistrates for not trying harder to deal with the cases on the spot and said the council would have to consult with the government to find out where it had all gone wrong.
A spokeswoman for the campaign group Parents Against Truancy Orders, Louise Harvey, described it as "a farce".
Her group believes the government's "zero tolerance" policy on truancy is putting more pressure on parents already struggling to cope.
Ms Harvey added: "The government really hasn't thought this through properly. Ivan Lewis (the education minister who is driving the policy) is not in touch with reality."
Ministers announced the "fast-track" scheme in October after truancy sweeps ordered by the government picked up 12,000 children in just four weeks. It is thought 50,000 children truant every day.
Under the scheme, parents have just one term to ensure that their children regularly attend school. They can then be hauled before the courts where they can be jailed for three months or face a fine of up to £2,500. Previously it tended to take many months before cases came to court.
Thurrock was one of the areas chosen to test the scheme. Ten parents the authority claimed had repeatedly failed to make sure their children attended school were told to appear before magistrates yesterday morning.
The first parent up, Tracy Hornsby, 37, pleaded not guilty, telling the magistrates she took her daughter, Toni, 15, out of St Chad's county secondary school in Tilbury, because she had been bullied.
Watched by observers from the Department for Education and Skills, Mrs Hornsby went on to claim drug dealing was common at the school.
Her case was put off until April 2 for a pre-trial review. Outside court she said her daughter, who allegedly only attended around 20 out of 70 school days, was better off being educated at home. "By not sending her to school I'm making sure my daughter gets a good education," she said. "The education system in this country is a mess."
Of the other cases, one father did not turn up because he thought he was due up tomorrow, one woman rang to say she was too ill to come, and another man did not appear apparently because the summons had been sent to a wrong address.
The others either pleaded not guilty, had solicitors indicate they would be denying the charge, or entered no plea.
Outside court Ms Fletcher expressed her frustration. She said: "It's obviously been a failure today. The scheme clearly needs rethinking."
She said the allegations made against St Chad's school were inaccurate, it had suffered problems in the past and security guards had been employed to keep order but she denied that bullying and drug dealing were major problems.
Even before yesterday some teachers expressed reservations about the scheme, suggesting it could criminalise parents struggling to cope.
However its supporters point out that taking strong action does work. Mother-of-five Patricia Amos last year became the first person to be jailed for failing to send her children to school. Since then her children's attendance has improved considerably.
>>> Edited by Mrs Fish on Thursday 27th February 16:38
Do you reckon Labia will have done anything by the next election which hasn't been thrown out by trhe courts? 
It's a terrible thing, those magistrates ruining that poor woman's day by refusing to deviate from statute and engage in a kangaroo court situation for the benefit of her targets. Fcuking witch..
It's a terrible thing, those magistrates ruining that poor woman's day by refusing to deviate from statute and engage in a kangaroo court situation for the benefit of her targets. Fcuking witch..
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