A TEENAGE girl whose mother faces prison for failing to send her to school, says it is she and not her mother who should not be punished.

Alexandra Griffiths, 15, has a history of failing to attend school since she was just nine years old.

This week, her mother Joanna Griffiths, 31, was found guilty for the fifth time in six years of knowingly failing to ensure she went to school.

She argued in court her daughter was too old to be physically forced to school.

But Abergavenny magistrates felt she could not justify her failure to make her daughter attend Llantarnam Comprehensive.

They heard from Torfaen council who said Griffiths had failed to cooperate, had missed meetings, ignored phone calls and not actively sought a solution to the problem.

They warned Griffiths she could face prison when she is sentenced on October 16.

Now Alexandra, who turns 16 next week, says she believes she should pay the price for her actions - not her mother.

"It's not fair that she gets punished for what I've done," she said, adding that the idea of her mother going to prison was "horrible".

First impressions of Alexandra are not what you might expect from a chronic truant.

She is intelligent, articulate and ambitious for a future education in college and career as a web designer.

It is hard to imagine her disliking school, where her slim, pretty looks and bright, engaging manner, would doubtless make her a popular pupil.

She finds it hard to explain her problems with school.

"I know I need to go and I do want to, because I don't want my Mum to get into trouble," she said.

"But when it comes to it, there's like a block in my mind and I just can't do it.

"I know I'm missing out on education, like my GCSEs."

Close family friend Rhiannon Walding said in court she believed Alexandra had a phobia of school and Mrs Griffiths believes one-on-one counselling or sessions with a psychatrist might have been more useful than threats of prosecution.

And while she admits missing meetings was a mistake, she says she tried everything to get her to school and says the council could have offered Alexandra more help or school alternatives, from home tuition to vocational college courses.

Single mum Mrs Griffiths' theory is that Alexandra suffered severe sibling resentment when she was eight and her younger sister Georgia was born.

She then suffered a further blow when her mother's long-term partner, who had taken on the role of father to her died suddenly.

Mrs Griffiths was herself a mum at just 15, and has suffered ongoing depression and anxiety, which made forcing her strong-willed daughter out of the house even harder.

But she has just enroled in a college access course with a view to training as a nurse.

"Prison will just ruin my life and put both my daughters through hell," she said.

Strong message to other parents

Torfaen council said yesterday that the guilty verdict brought them no satisfaction and only served to send a strong message to other parents.

They described Alex's attendance as "truly appalling". She attended only 26 occasions out of a possible 372 between September 2007 and July 2008.

Cllr Mary Barnett, Executive Member for Children and Young People said: "We tried everything in our powers, writing notices, letters, phone calls and home visits, meetings were also arranged with school staff and the LEA, all of which she failed to attend, and a home visit was made by the schools Inclusion Manager.

Parenting groups were offered and we liaised with outside agencies who offered Mrs Griffiths appropriate support.

Plus a reduced and modified timetable for a gradual reintroduction to school was offered."