There were 1,466 penalty notices issued in Barnet for unauthorised absences in the last academic year reports Sonja Tutty, Data Reporter

A mother with three children walking to school — Nationally, 487,344 penalty notices were issued for unauthorised absences in 2023-24 – (Credit – Radar)

Fewer fines were issued to parents for taking children out of school in Barnet last year, new figures show – despite a record number of penalty fines issued across England.

It comes as school leaders’ unions said a new approach must be considered by the Government to address pupils being taken out of school, adding current fines are a “blunt tool” for tackling the issue.

Department for Education data shows there were 1,466 penalty notices issued in Barnet for unauthorised absences in the last academic year, compared to 1,832 in 2022-23 – a 20% fall in a year.

Of the penalty notices issued last year, 1,377 (94%) were for unauthorised holidays.

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.

Nationally, 487,344 penalty notices were issued for unauthorised absences in 2023-24, up 22% from the year before and the highest figure since records began.

The vast majority (91%) of fines were for unauthorised family holidays.

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

He added: “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.”

He said missing school is “damaging to their education”, as well as disruptive for classes and teachers, and warned it is difficult to solve the problem without the Government restricting travel firms raising their prices during school holidays.

Of the penalty notices in Barnet, 650 were paid and 816 were withdrawn prior to prosecution.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union the NAHT, said a fine is not a sufficient deterrent as the Government hoped it would be.

He called fines a “blunt tool” for tackling the issue, and also supported working with travel companies to address the underlying cause of the problem.

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.”

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else. £84 annual supporters get a print copy by post and a digital copy of each month's before anyone else.