READING mother Sandra Hayward was today sent to jail for 20 days for failing to ensure that her 15-year-old son attended school regularly - only the second person in the south of England to be sentenced in such a way.
Wokingham District Council's Education Authority claimed that Mrs Hayward's son had a truancy rate of 85 percent from Ryeish Green School at Spencer's Wood.
Reading Magistrates' Court was told that Mrs Hayward had been repeatedly warned after her son attended only 19 of 109 half-days from the latter stages of the 2002-03 year and September 30 of the current school year.
She was, it was claimed, given a written order warning her of the consequences if the boy's attendance record did not improve - and when it did not she was taken to court.
After sentence she left no doubt that her son was beyond her control, turning to him and saying angrily: "I hope you're happy - you've got what you wanted."
The boy has now gone to stay with relatives in Swindon while his mother serves her sentence.
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