How much could I be fined if my child misses school?  

About Penalty Notices

New arrangements from 19 August 2024

Parents are legally responsible for ensuring that their child is being educated and if they choose to do this by enrolling them at a school, then they must ensure that their child attends regularly. If this doesn’t happen, then following appropriate support and advice being offered by their child’s school, the parents could be prosecuted at magistrates' court.

Prosecution can result in a fine of up to £1,000, although some circumstances where the parents have knowingly allowed their child to be absent from school, they may be fined up to £2,500 or even sent to prison for 3 months. Prosecution will also result in the parent having a criminal record.

An alternative to prosecution can be where a school requests that the local authority issue the parent with a penalty notice 

The issuing of a penalty notice can be considered for all types of unauthorised absences including:

• being late after the register has closed
• truancy
• taking leave of absence (holiday) without permission from the school
• if a headteacher isn’t satisfied for the reason for the child missing school

When a penalty notice is issued, it is issued on a per child / per parent basis. This means that if 2 parents have 2 children and take both children out of school, they may be issued with a total of 4 penalty notices – 1 to each parent for each child.

When a school asks us to issue a penalty notice, the following criterion apply:

The pupil has missed at least 10 sessions (equal to 5 school days) due to unauthorised absence during the previous 10 school weeks. The period of 10 school weeks can also span different terms or academic years. We have discretion to issue a penalty notice before the above threshold is met.

A notice to improve may be issued as a final opportunity to avoid a penalty notice being issued and this will give a 30-school-day period, when should the child have no further unauthorised absences, then no penalty notice will be issued. A notice to improve will not be issued where the penalty notice is for leave of absence (holiday during term-time) and the absence has not been authorised by the school.

Where a penalty notice is issued, then over a 3-year rolling period the sanctions are:

• first offence – fine of £160 reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days.
• second offence – fine of £160
• third offence – court hearing and up to £2,500 fine, or up to 3 months in prison and a criminal record

Once a penalty notice has been issued, there is no right of appeal, although there are circumstances in which we may withdraw the notice.

In the majority of cases, schools and local authorities will try and provide support to help you improve your child’s attendance first, but if this isn’t effective or the absence is for unauthorised term time holiday, parents may face paying a fine.

Currently, it’s the responsibility of the local authority to decide when to issue fines to parents, meaning the process varies from council to council.

However, under the new national framework, all schools will be required to consider a fine when a child has missed 10 or more sessions (5 days) for unauthorised reasons.

From August 2024, the fine for school absences across the country will be £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days.

This rate is in line with inflation and is the first increase since 2012.

In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160.

Fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action like a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.

If you’re prosecuted and attend court because your child hasn’t been attending school, you could get a fine of up to £2,500.

Money raised via fines is only used by the local authority to cover the costs of administering the system, and to fund attendance support. Any extra money is returned to the government.

Click here to read further guidance regarding fines