A Tenby woman has been cleared of failing to send her teenage son to school on a regular basis.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stood trial at Haverfordwest magistrates court on Monday.

She pleaded not guilty to failing to secure the regular attendance of a pupil of compulsory school age.

The court heard that her son had missed seven days of school out of 26, which were alleged to be unauthorised absences, between May 2 and June 13, 2017.

The child’s attendance was recorded as 79.75% for the school year, and his mother stated that he had been genuinely unwell with a stomach bug and headaches during the missed days.

Jeff Harries, prosecuting on behalf of Pembrokeshire County Council, told the bench that no evidence had been provided for the absences, and a penalty notice had not been paid.

The child’s mother stated that the family valued education, and the child, who was doing well at school, aspired to go to university. She added that he had undergone tests after suffering from anxiety and was a conscientious pupil.

“He is a very quiet boy, very polite. He works hard at school and enjoys meeting up with his friends.”

She added that she had telephoned the school on each day of her son’s illness, and treated him at home as she did not feel it was necessary to visit a doctor.

Sophie Hill, defending, said that there were circumstances when people were discouraged from visiting over-stretched GP surgeries.

“Just because he did not go to the doctors does not mean that he was not ill at the time. She was not flouting the rules by keeping her child off school. She showed due diligence and was acting in the way she thought best.”

Magistrates accepted that the child was unwell during his absence and found the woman not guilty.