Parents who take their children out of school without permission will face increased fines across England from September. The minimum fine for such absences will rise to £80 per parent as part of a government directive to restore attendance to pre-pandemic levels. Schools’ current policies on fining parents vary depending on their location. New guidelines suggest considering a fine after a child misses five days of school, without the head teacher’s permission.
The tougher approach seeks to create greater consistency across England. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan explained that most fines were levied for unauthorized term-time holidays. Parents with absent children would first be offered support, but fines remained a necessary option.
Persistently absent pupils, those who miss at least 10% of school, added up to one month across the school year. Autumn 2019 figures showed 15% of secondary and 11% of primary pupils met the criteria, rising to 24% and 16% respectively in the autumn term of the current school year. The Association of School and College Leaders’ Geoff Barton said that if everybody took term-time holidays, schools would be plunged into chaos. Fining parents for unauthorized absences sent a clear message that they were unacceptable.
However, some parents claiming to be unable to afford holidays outside of term-time will be unhappy with the new rules. Charlotte Williams, who was unable to afford a holiday outside of term-time, commented: “I actually think that they can do learning in other countries as well – it’s educational, going away.”
However, the government is preparing to expand mental health support in schools and create more places for children with special educational needs and disabilities. The Liberal Democrats have called for a trained mental health professional in every school, and Labour has proposed introducing breakfast clubs for all primary pupils
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