Parents in Gloucestershire will face higher fines for taking children out of school
Penalties to parents who take children out of school without permission are being increased to boost school attendance.
Parents who take their children out of class without permission will face higher fines as part of a drive to boost school attendance following the pandemic.
The Department for Education (DfE) has said a fine must be considered if a child misses five days of school for unauthorised absence.
It comes after nearly 400,000 penalty notices were issued to parents in England in 2022-23 for unauthorised school absences - which was much higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Under the new measures every state school in England must share their daily attendance registers with the DfE, councils and academy trusts.
Principle at Tewkesbury Academy, Kathleen McGillycuddy said attendance has become a huge issue for all schools since the pandemic.
Kathleen said: "Attendance is the number one priority and it is impacting every school in every corner of the country. Attendance is absolutely at a crisis.
"If children are not in school they're not learning, they're not maturing, they're not developing friendships. And ultimately it will be difficult for them as adults if they don't have the best qualifications they can get."
Kathleen said she understands why the DfE has increased the fines but believes schools need to work in partnership with parents to understand the barriers they're facing in bringing children to school.
"Fines will have an impact for some people as it will hit their pockets. And it will work for some people and in some places, but I don't think it is the only strategy."
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: "Our fantastic schools and teachers unlock children's imagination, potential and social skills which is why improving attendance is my number one priority.
"Today we are taking that next step to further boost attendance and I want to thank those who are working with us including teachers and heads."
The higher fines are expected to come into effect from September.