Nearly 80,000 fines issued to Yorkshire parents for taking children out of school
Yorkshire is leading the way for the number of parents being fined for taking kids out of classes
Last updated 30th Jan 2025
The number of fines issued to parents in Yorkshire for taking their children out of school without permission increased to almost 80,000 last year, figures have shown.
The Department for Education (DfE) data showed there were 79,904 penalty notices issued for unauthorised absences across Yorkshire and the Humber in 2023-24, compared to 64,137 in 2022-23 - a 25% rise in a year.
The vast majority of fines were for unauthorised family holidays, according to the DfE.
It makes Yorkshire the English region with the highest number of penalty notices being issued, representing around 11% of the national total.
The latest data covers the last academic year before fines for unauthorised absences were increased.
In September, school absence fines in England rose from £60 to £80, and a parent who receives a second fine for the same child within a three-year period will now receive a £160 fine.
The former Conservative government announced the hike in fines in February last year as part of a drive to boost school attendance since the pandemic.
The use of penalty notices by local authorities varied greatly across the Yorkshire region.
The number of fines issued for each Yorkshire district is as follows:
North Yorkshire
York - 1,537
North Yorkshire - 2,914
East Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire - 3,250
Kingston upon Hull - 3,156
North Lincolnshire - 2,130
North East Lincolnshire - 3,014
South Yorkshire
Barnsley - 6,151
Doncaster - 7,482
Rotherham - 4,052
Sheffield - 5,753
West Yorkshire
Bradford - 12,366
Calderdale - 3,311
Leeds - 11,065
Kirklees - 5,769
Pepe Di'Iasio, a Yorkshire headteacher and general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: "School leaders take no pleasure in parents being fined, but must have clear, consistent policies in place that emphasise the importance of attendance.
"There is a longstanding issue of exorbitant prices being charged by the travel industry during school holiday periods. We can understand why some parents want to take holidays at other times of year as this may be the only way it is affordable, even with the threat of a fine.
"However, we must do something to reverse the trend of a growing number of pupils missing out on a week or more of school. This is damaging to their education as well as disruptive for their class and teachers, who must then spend time helping them catch up on work they have missed.
"There is no simple resolution to this issue, but we do think it is time for the Government to explore ways in which they could restrain travel firms from raising their prices during school holidays. We cannot see how this problem can be solved another way."
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union the NAHT, said: "It is clear that for many families the threat of a fine is not acting as a significant deterrent in the way the government hoped it would.
"This is largely due to the exorbitant charges for holidays outside of term time. We have long-argued that fines are a blunt tool for tackling this issues and the data appears to bear this out once again.
"Perhaps now is the time for the Government to try a different approach. Whilst it may be challenging to do, that surely must involve working with travel companies to address the underlying cause of the problem.
"The variation in how different local authorities approach this issue clearly needs addressing too. It is only fair and right that we treat families the same when it comes to holidays in term time, wherever they live in the country."
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "We need a national effort to tackle the epidemic of school absence so we can give children the best start in life - with government, schools and parents all playing their part.
"This Government will do everything in its power to tackle the problem but behaviour like term-time holidays cannot be changed with support alone - which is why fines have a vital place in our system, so everyone is held accountable for ensuring our children are in school.
"When children miss school unnecessarily, all children suffer, as teachers' attention is diverted to helping them catch back up, and we will not apologise for ensuring every child is in school accessing high and rising standards so they can achieve and thrive."