Thousands Of Parents Prosecuted Over Truancy

Thousands of parents have been prosecuted for their children missing school and the number is rising, according to newly released figures.

Growing numbers are being convicted of truancy offences, facing fines, and in some cases even being sent to jail.

The figures were obtained by the Press Association following a Freedom of Information request.

In total, 16,430 people in England were prosecuted for failing to ensure that a child went to school in 2014 - equivalent to around 86 cases for each day of the school year.

That is up a quarter on 2013 when 13,128 people were taken to court.

Last year 9,214 parents were issued with fines. On average, they were ordered to pay £172.

The figures also show the number of people sent to prison more than doubled, with 18 given custodial sentences in 2014, up from seven the year before.

Stewart Sutherland paid the price for taking his children to Greece for a term-time autumn break.

He and wife Natasha took their six-year-old son Keane, 13-year-old Sian, and eldest daughter Rhiannon, who is 15, to Greece for a week.

But the couple's next trip was to court.

They were ordered to pay out almost £1,000 in fines and costs in January last year.

Mr Sutherland, from Trench near Telford, says they made the decision not for a cheap holiday, but because it was the only time their family could be together because of work commitments.

"We tried to get time off when the kids were on holiday but unfortunately yet again because we're both shift workers we couldn't get time off at the same time over the six-week period," he said.

"So we decided because the kids had been deprived of a holiday for four years, we were going to take them anyway.

"We took them on holiday a week after the kids returned back to school."

Parents who take children out of school without permission can face a £60 fine per child, rising to £120 if it is not paid within 21 days.

Those who fail to pay altogether may be prosecuted, with a maximum fine of £2,500 or a jail sentence of up to three months if they are found guilty.

The Department for Education (DfE) says the stricter rules introduced in 2013 to stop parents taking children out of school are working.

In a statement to Sky News, a DfE spokesperson said: "It is a myth that missing school even for a short time is harmless to a child’s education.

"Our evidence shows missing the equivalent of just one week a year from school can mean a child is a quarter less likely to achieve good GCSE grades, having a lasting effect on their life chances.

"Heads and teachers are now firmly back in charge of their classrooms, and most recent figures show we have made real progress - with 200,000 fewer pupils regularly missing school compared with five years ago."

David Simmonds of the Local Government Association said: "We believe that the rise in court action and fines issued reflects a rapidly rising school population and tighter enforcement by schools that are under pressure from OFSTED to meet attendance targets.

"Whilst everyone wants children in school learning, there are sometimes circumstances where absence is unavoidable or important for wider family reasons.

"Head teachers know the circumstances of their pupils' families and what's going on in their school throughout the year and should be trusted to make decisions about a child's absence from school without being forced to issue fines and start prosecutions in situations where they believe the absence is reasonable."