Jail threat over 'school phobia' girl

Sarah Maisey, 36, of Swindon, Wilts, has called for more awareness of the rare condition, which has caused her 11-year-old daughter Gemma to miss months of schooling.

Mrs Maisey said her daughter began to have difficulties attending her school after she had to take six weeks off lessons while recovering from a chest injury.

Gemma became so distraught about falling behind in lessons she suffered panic attacks while attempting to return to Swindon's 1,300-pupil Hreod Parkway School.

She has attended to classes just twice in the past three months.

Mrs Maisey claimed requests for homework were turned down with the response that the school was not "legally obliged" to provide it.

Mrs Maisey said: "She transferred to her new school in September, but when she had the time off recovering she fell behind and anxieties started to creep in.

"She felt her friends were moving on and she missed much of the work.

"The school sent her to an education welfare officer and she was told that her parents could be sent to prison if she didn't return to school.

Helps children

"The school has been unable to distinguish between my daughter's real problems and voluntary truancy.

"We mind desperately that our daughter is missing out on her education."

Mrs Maisey said the school failed to recognise the problem until Gemma suffered a panic attack in class and had to be sent home.

She was then referred by her doctor to a special unit that helps children with difficulties to cope with school.

Mrs Maisey told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "I can assure you that in Gemma's case she has been through an awful lot in the last few months.

"I have told them that if that is what they want to try to do they are more than welcome to take me to court - but they won't get away with it."

Adolescent unit

In an interview Gemma said the thought of school made her feel "ill" and she would "rather be anywhere else".

Hreod Parkway headteacher Andrew Fleet said the school operated within the diagnosis provided by the adolescent unit on the advice of the education welfare department.

In May, 43-year-old Patricia Amos, of Banbury, Oxfordshire, became the first person in the country to be jailed for allowing her teenage children to play truant under new legislation.

Pat Harden, a school governor at Hreod for 14 years, said: "If the headteacher had known anything about this, I am sure he would have given it the utmost consideration, as would we all."