Fines for kids skipping school to go up by a third in Warwickshire
It's as a national framework from the Department for Education has been released.
Last updated 18th Jul 2024
Fines for the unauthorised absence of school children – including holidays in term time – are to go up by a third in Warwickshire.
A national framework from the Department for Education (DfE) aims to achieve consistency across each education authority – in this case Warwickshire County Council – in relation to how absences are dealt with.
It is part of the DfE’s push to increase levels of school attendance with figures suffering nationally since Covid.
Schools, in conjunction with the county council, can issue fixed penalty notices for truancy, unauthorised leave of absence, “excessive delay” from a term time holiday that has been sanctioned or persistent lateness.
They can also be issued for missing 10 or more sessions – schools have two sessions per day, so essentially a week’s worth of education – in a 10-week period, a measure designed to discourage families from booking holidays in term time, something hard-up parents consider with the cost of breaks spiking during school holidays.
In Warwickshire, a first fixed penalty notice is currently £120, reduced to £60 if paid within 21 days.
If a second fine is issued within a three-year period, the reduced rate does not apply and no further penalty notices can be issued for the same child within three years of the first. Subsequent cases in that timeframe must be dealt with by other means, potentially prosecution.
An updated local code of conduct in relation to school attendance, which increases the fines to £160 and £80, was sanctioned by Warwickshire County Council’s cabinet, the panel of Conservative councillors in charge of major service areas, this week. The rules around and the way in which they are administered remained largely unchanged.
The new tariffs will kick in from August 19. Any fines issued after that date but in relation to absence periods before it will be charged at the old rates.
Councillor Sarah Boad (Lib Dem, Leamington North) clarified with portfolio holder for education Councillor Kam Kaur (Con, Bilton & Hillside) that fines would be issued if children were taken out of school for a week-long holiday and then sought assurance that parents and carers would be informed of the measures.
Cllr Kaur replied: “We have a press release going out and it is on our website. It is also the school’s responsibility to make parents aware of what the code of conduct is.
“Schools should be publicising what the consequences are if they take their child out in school time.”