A mum-of-four has spoken of her disbelief at being asked to pay 20p after her son broke a pencil at school.

Louise Owen was shocked when 10-year-old Lennie-Lee Maguire came home and handed her a letter from Lawn Primary School in Northfleet, saying they would have to pay to replace the damaged equipment.

The 32-year-old said: "When he first came in I said 'What have you done now Lennie?' But he didn't have a clue and didn't even mention the pencil.

"The first thing he said to me was that he was kicking a football in the playground and the ball went over the fence, so he'd automatically thought this letter was about losing the ball.

"I couldn't believe what the letter said – I thought it was ridiculous."

The letter, from class teacher Douglas Wilson, read: "Unfortunately, your child broke a school pencil on November 2, 2022. This is school equipment which now needs to be replaced.

"Would you kindly pay the value of £0.20 to the school as soon as possible."

Louise said she had no intention of paying: "I know it sounds bad but I did think about it and it comes down to the principle of it.

"It would have cost them more to write the letter and I just can't get my head around it.

"It isn't even about the 20p, it's the fact they've given my son a letter to bring home saying they want it as soon as possible."

She said it would have been more productive if the school had given him something like a 10-minute detention, as it would have helped him understand and learn what he did wrong.

When she phoned the school the next day, Louise was told multiple children had been given the same letter.

The mum continued: "I don't agree with what he did and I've sat him down and told him not to break things that don't belong to him – but the amount of pencils that probably get broken on a daily basis by kids, either purposefully or accidentally, must be loads.

"The thing is, Lennie has a pencil case full of pencils and pens but he's not allowed to take it in because of Covid.

"If he was constantly doing it then I could probably understand but it's not a reoccurring thing.

"What bothered me most is that my son was given a letter not knowing what it was about."

Lennie, who is in Year 6, has additional needs and has ADHD and autism, which means the school gets additional funding specifically for him.

Lawn Primary School, which is in Northfleet high street, has been approached for a comment.