A SLEEPY mother failed to send her six-year-old daughter to school for months because she couldn't get out of bed in the morning.

Chantelle Kay's daughter had 73 unauthorised absences in six months, a court heard.

Kay, 27, appeared before Teesside Magistrates' Court to be sentenced for failure to secure her daughter Lauren's school attendance.

But afterwards the mother-of-two denied being lazy and said it was not because she didn't care about her child's schooling.

She said: "Education is important. I do try and get her to school. I do have a problem getting up in the morning. I just can't get up.

"The judge said buy an alarm clock. I have got a massive alarm clock, but sometimes I just sleep through it.

"I care a hell of a lot about her education. I do a lot at home.

"It is not lazy. Once I am up I don't find it difficult to motivate myself."

The court heard that Kay had not turned up to several case conferences to discuss the absences from Archibald Primary School.

Neil Wilson, prosecuting for Middlesbrough Council, said that when she finally did turn up, her excuse was her inability to wake up in the morning.

He said: "The only excuse that could be given was the defendant personally found it difficult to get out of bed in the morning."

The court heard that between January 22 and June 25 this year Lauren had attended 107 half-day school sessions out of 180.

Mr Wilson said Kay had first been written to in March last year over the school's concerns.

Kay failed to attend case conferences to discuss the non-attendance on December 4, last year, and January 15 this year.

When home visits were made on November 27 last year and January 11 this year, she was not in and did not respond to calling cards, the court heard.

Mr Wilson said a £50 fixed penalty notice was issued to Kay on February 1 but was never paid.

She finally did attend a meeting on February 12 when she offered her excuse.

Kay, of Montrose Street, Middlesbrough, who admitted failing to secure her daughter's attendance at an earlier hearing, represented herself in court.

Chairman of the magistrates Ken Smith said: "Well Miss Kay, Lauren has to go to school.

"She is not an unruly teenager, she is only six. What will it be like when she is 16?"

Kay was given a one-year community order with supervision and ordered to pay £60 costs