A MOTHER-of-five has been threatened with jail time after her grieving son missed school on the one year anniversary of his father’s death.

Tracey Fidler was hauled in front of magistrates on Friday after leaders at Battle Primary Academy failed to accept the reasons for her son’s absence earlier this year.

Between January and March Adam Fidler spent weeks away from school as he struggled to cope with the loss of his father Kris Jarvis who was killed alongside friend and fellow cyclist John Morland by a dangerous driver last February.

Around the one year anniversary of the crash Miss Fidler, 40, said she noticed her son finding it difficult to deal with the situation.

She said: “He was up all night, not eating, not sleeping – he found it so hard, he was only nine years old when he lost his dad.

“He was not off because he was truanting he was off because he was in such a state about his dad.”

Miss Fidler sent messages to the school through friends and relatives to inform them that her son was unable to make it to lessons due to the trauma.

She added: “But they told me they do not want other people doing it they needed me to say it, even though they already knew why.”

On Friday Miss Fidler appeared at Reading Magistrates’ Court charged with allowing her son to miss school.

If found guilty the maximum penalty is a £2,500 fine or up to three months’ imprisonment.

Miss Fidler denied the charge and is due to appear at the same court again on October 9.

She said: “It’s making it harder because it brings everything back and makes it raw for us. He was up all night the day before I was due in court because he was worried they would take me away.

“His dad was taken away from him and now these people want to take his mum.

“I just want it to be solved and go away for Adam. It’s him I’m around about.”

 

Reading Chronicle:

  • Flowers marked the spot in Purley where Kris Jarvis and John Morland were killed by a dangerous driver in February 2014 

Adam has since left Battle Primary and recently started secondary school at Prospect Park School where his mum said he has settled in well.

As an academy Battle Primary is outside of the council’s control and is run instead by the National Educational Trust.

The trust were contacted for comment but no one was available.

Miss Fidler said she has since been contacted by the school’s principal Katy Peters.

She said: “I spoke to her yesterday and she apologised and said she did not want any of it to happen.”

A petition started by friend of the family Amy Parks is calling on the school to drop the charges and has already garnered more than 5,000 signatures including that of Reading Borough Council’s lead councillor for education Cllr Tony Jones.

For more information on the petition see http://chn.ge/1R9sHUr