PARENTS who continually fail to ensure their children go to school risk court action, a senior education figure warned last night.

The warning followed Durham County Council's successful prosecution of a single mother, whose children repeatedly missed school for most of the first two terms this year.

Linda Davison, 39, who now has two such convictions, narrowly avoided a prison sentence.

But, she was warned that custody is becoming more likely should she continue to fail to ensure her 11-year-old son attends school in the coming year.

Her 16-year-old daughter has now left school and can no longer put her mother at risk of prosecution.

Durham magistrates heard that the boy and teenage girl attended only five of a possible 330 sessions at their respective schools over a six-month period earlier this year.

Jodie Cowie, prosecuting for the county council, said Davison failed to attend six meetings arranged with her daughter's school and other agencies to address the problem.

She said the council considered implementing an education supervision order, but, given her previous conviction, for which Davison was fined £250 in March, anything other than another prosecution was felt inappropriate.

Davison, of Cookson Terrace, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, admitted two counts of failing to ensure her children attend school, one relating to each child. Nick Musgrove, mitigating, said: "Linda Davison is, in many ways, an exemplary mother, providing love and care for her children. But, she accepts by her guilty pleas that she has fallen below the required standards regarding her children's education."

Mr Musgrove said her daughter had suffered a hip problem, affecting her mobility, but now hopes to take up a college place.

He said the 11-year-old became "anxious" when separated from his mother in the past.

But, since starting secondary school in September, he has mainly been attending.

After reading probation service reports, magistrates imposed a six-month community supervision order, with £200 costs.

Bench chairman Martin Palmer told Davison: "There are not many steps to go before you could go to prison, so don't renege on any of the meetings with the probation service."

Councillor Claire Vasey, the county council's cabinet member for children and young people's services, said last night: "For young people to have the best possible start in life they need to get the best out of their time at school.

"The county council works very hard to help parents who are having difficulties getting their children to attend school, and, in the majority of cases, our efforts are successful.

"However, as a last resort, we will not hesitate to prosecute parents."