A MOTHER convicted for the fourth time of failing to send her children to school has escaped jail.

Mother-of-six Joanne Marriott, 37, admitted her teenage daughter Danielle had attended only 70 out of a possible 342 morning or afternoon sessions at Albion High School in Salford between March 2003 and January 2004.

The single mum from Riverside in Salford was given a 10-week jail sentence suspended for two years - because she has sick parents and other children, including two under four, to look after.

But District Judge Jonathan Finestein warned at Salford Magistrates' Court that if she failed to send any of her other children to school, or to work with the education authority to at least try to improve their attendance, she could be recalled to court and forced to serve the sentence.

The case was brought by Salford city council education department, which repeatedly sent letters to Marriott asking her to attend meetings about her daughter's attendance.

But she failed to respond, even when the school's police liaison officer became involved.

Asset

Judge Finestein told her: "Children need to be at school - they need to be there firstly so that they can mix and relate to people of their own age and background; and secondly so that they can learn and become an asset in the community, so that they can form careers and be a part of the structure of society.

"Without the background which education brings, children do suffer, they find themselves restricted in later life and in many senses lost and at best regretting opportunities they just didn't have.

"I can imagine Danielle was quite a headstrong young lady who said she wouldn't go, but you have to do a lot more. You cannot simply shrug your shoulders."

Danielle is now 16 and is to start a college hair and beauty course next month.

Time

Marriott was also originally charged with failing to send her eldest daughter Sarah to school, but this was dropped because of the time which has elapsed and because she admitted the more recent charges relating to Danielle.

The court was told there had also been problems with her the education of her 15-year-old son, but he was now taking part in a scheme run by the education authority which involved him learning on the internet at home.

Philip Trotter, defending, said Marriott had suffered a series of personal problems and added: "It appears there has been a certain recognition and acceptance of her culpability for these offences and certain maturity which is not too late for the remaining children. The passage of time seems to have worked in these cases."