The DfE says ‘every moment in school counts and days missed add up quickly’
With the weather having taken an autumnal turn, some families may be thinking about jetting off abroad in the coming months for a change of scenery and some sunshine. As the price of trips abroad soar dramatically over the school holidays, many households will have been priced out of a summer trip this year.
So while the Department for Education (DfE) emphasises that “every moment in school counts and days missed add up quickly”, it’s perfectly understandable that some parents might consider removing their children from school to make a holiday financially viable. However, unauthorised absences can lead to big fines.
In England, Section 444 of the Education Act states that “failure to secure regular attendance at school of registered pupil” constitutes an offence, as reported by the Liverpool Echo. And in 2017 the Supreme Court determined that “regular attendance” means in “accordance with school rules”.
Should you remove a child aged 5-16 from school during term time, you’re unlikely to receive approval from the headteacher, rendering the absence unauthorised. The DfE confirms that all schools will be required to consider issuing a fine if a child accumulates ten or more unauthorised absences (equivalent to five days).
The previous penalty stood at £60 if settled within 21 days, or £120 if paid within 28 days, but in August 2024, these sums increased to £80 and £160 respectively. These penalties apply per parent and per child, with non-payment potentially resulting in parents being taken to court.
If a parent receives a second fine for the same child within a three-year period, the penalty will be imposed at the higher rate of £160. Each parent is restricted to two fines within any three-year span, and further breaches could lead to a parenting order, which requires attendance at parenting classes, or even court proceedings, with a potential fine up to £2,500.
The DfE clarifies that children can only miss school if they are too ill to attend, cannot attend due to participating in religious observance, if a parent has requested in advance and received permission for the absence due to exceptional circumstances, if the local authority responsible for arranging their transport to school has not done so yet or if it is not available on that day, or if they belong to a gypsy/traveller family with no fixed abode, and parent/s are required to travel for work that day meaning the child cannot attend their usual school.
The DfE states that funds raised from parents being fined for unauthorised absences are solely used by the local authority to cover the costs of administering the system, and to fund attendance support. Any surplus money is returned to the government.