New map shows London boroughs with the most parents getting fined for school absences

A mum putting shoes on her son
-Credit:Getty Images/iStockphoto


London saw a record-breaking number of fines handed out to parents for unauthorised school absences last year, according to the latest figures. Amidst this surge, heads of school leaders' unions are calling on the Government to rethink its strategy, labelling the current fine system as a "blunt tool" that fails to effectively tackle the issue.

Data from the Department for Education reveals that in the previous academic year, there were 38,085 penalty notices issued in London for unauthorised absences, marking a 6 per cent increase from the 36,000 fines in 2022-23 and setting a new high since records started being kept in 2009-10. A staggering 93 per cent of these fines, amounting to 35,448 notices, were for unauthorised holidays.

In September, the cost of school absence fines in England was hiked from £60 to £80, with repeat offenders facing a £160 fine if they receive a second penalty for the same child within three years. On a national scale, 487,344 penalty notices were issued for unauthorised absences in 2023-24, up by 22 per cent from the previous year and the highest count on record, with the vast majority (91 per cent) for unauthorised family holidays.

ADVERTISEMENT

READ MORE: ‘I visited Canary Wharf Winter Lights - these are the 5 best installations you must see’

READ MORE: Map shows number of TB cases in your area amid London surge of 'Victorian' illness

The London borough with the highest number of fines issued to parents was Havering with 11 per 100 students, while the fewest fines were handed out in Greenwich, with fewer than 1 per 100 students.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, commented: "School leaders take no pleasure in parents being fined, but must have clear, consistent policies in place that emphasise the importance of attendance. 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."

He continued: "However, we must do something to reverse the trend of a growing number of pupils missing out on a week or more of school."

ADVERTISEMENT

He mentioned that absence from school is detrimental to students' education, and also causes disruption for both classrooms and teachers. He pointed out the challenge in addressing this issue without government action to prevent travel companies from hiking prices during school holidays.

The couple decided they needed to get away from the UK
Many parents blamed the high cost of holiday-time travel for the absences -Credit:Getty Images/iStockphoto

In London, of the penalty notices resolved, 29,349 were paid and 5,598 were withdrawn before prosecution, while 1,081 cases led to prosecution due to non-payment. Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the NAHT, mentioned that fines are not as discouraging as the government had hoped and described them as a "blunt tool" in addressing the issue.

He advocated for collaboration with travel companies to get to the root of the problem. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated: "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."

She added: "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."

Looking for more from MyLondon? Subscribe to our daily newsletters here for the latest and greatest updates from across London.