The number of fines issued to parents for unauthorised absences increased by 74.7 per cent last year as councils cracked down on families taking children out of school.

In 2017-18, 260,900 penalty notices were issued to parents for poor attendance, compared with 149,300 in 2016-17.

This was against a backdrop of an increase of 7.5 per cent in the number of pupils with one or more unauthorised absences during the same period.

The overwhelming majority of penalty notices - 85.4 per cent - were issued for unauthorised family holiday absence in 2017-18. This figure was up from 77.5 per cent in 2016-17.

The remainder were issued for “other unauthorised absences” (14.3 per cent), and pupils arriving late to school (0.2 per cent).

Parents fined for term-time holidays

The Department for Education said that “amendments to regulations and a number of high-profile court cases” may have affected the increase in penalty notices over recent years, which stood at just 25,657 in 2009-10.

The amount payable under a penalty notice is £60 if paid within 21 days of receipt, rising to £120 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days.

If the penalty is not paid in full by the end of the 28-day period, the local authority must either prosecute for the original offence or withdraw the notice.

In September 2013 the government changed the regulations, banning ter- time leave in all but exceptional circumstances, which led to a sharp increase in penalty notices between 2012-13 and 2014-15.

The most recent spike follows a landmark Supreme Court ruling in April 2017 that children should not be taken out of school without good reason.

The court said that Isle of Wight Council had been correct to fine John Platt, a father who took his daughter out of school in order to go on holiday. 

The DfE contacted a small sample of local authorities with large changes in the number of penalties in 2017-18 to ask them about the increase. All six that responded cited that the Supreme Court judgement in this case had had an effect on the number of penalty notices issued in 2017-18.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Rules on term-time absences are clear: no child should be taken out of school without good reason. We have put head teachers back in control by supporting them - and local authorities - to use their powers to deal with unauthorised absence.”