A mother of four has been sent a £60 fine after her daughter took time off school with a health problem.

Donna Bates was sent a letter giving her 21 days to pay the fine - or face having it increased to £120.

Ms Bates said: “She is under the care of a doctor and is taking medication which is slowly improving things.

“I met with staff in September when I explained the problem and that a doctor had prescribed medication for it.

“In December I was called in and had a meeting with the school but they just don’t seem to recognise or want to listen. This is not just a minor thing. It is extreme.”

Candice Hodkinson, 14, is in Year 10 of Neale Wade, and has been increasingly suffering since she was about 13 years old, she said.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire County Council said: “There has been a history of poor attendance despite support being offered by the school. Three sessions were missed due to illness, although this was authorised.

“As there was a slight improvement in overall attendance, we issued a penalty notice as an alternative to prosecution.”

Her mum, of Doddington Road, Wimblington, said: “The letter came through and I just burst into tears. I can’t afford to pay a fine like this. She is not faking an illness. She is not skiving off. If she could go in she would.”

The letter was sent from the Wisbech locality team for Cambridgeshire County Council children, families and adult services.

Neale Wade Principal Jason Wing said that the academy was subject to stringent controls on attendance and was monitored closely by the Department of Education, Ofsted and the local authority.

The fine was not issued by the academy but by the county council, he added.