{"id":240971,"date":"2026-01-29T11:36:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T11:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=240971"},"modified":"2026-01-29T13:31:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T13:31:41","slug":"absence-fines-level-out-after-post-covid-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/absence-fines-level-out-after-post-covid-surge\/","title":{"rendered":"Absence fines level out after post-Covid surge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The number of absence fines issued to parents has levelled out following a post-Covid surge, but it still remains nearly 50 per cent above pre-pandemic levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Department for Education figures released today<\/a> show councils handed out just under 493,000 penalty notices on the behalf of schools in 2024-25, up 1 per cent on 12 months before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 90 per cent of the penalties last year were for unauthorised family holidays. This is in line with previous years. The rest were for \u201cother unauthorised circumstances\u201d (7 per cent) and arriving late (0.3 per cent).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No fines were issued during the pandemic, and fewer fines were issued in its wake as schools continued to grapple with the fallout from Covid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But the number later rose from almost 220,000 in 2021-22 to around 487,000 in 2023-24. This represented a 123 per cent jump in just two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But today’s stats suggest the increase could be starting to plateau. The data relates to the first year in which fines rose from a basic rate of \u00a360 to \u00a380<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 492,825 penalty notices issued in 2024-25 is 47 per cent higher than the 333,000 given in 2018-19 – the last figures before the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Yorkshire and the Humber was the region that registered the highest number of fines per hundred children (10.3), while London had the lowest (3.6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the north east witnessed a 53 per cent increase in the number of fines issued last year. The next highest jump was in the south west (23 per cent). Four other regions recorded falls of up to 16 per cent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Limit travel prices’ <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di\u2019Iasio said the \u201cdata shows the problem is only getting worse\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEveryone understands what is happening here, and that parents are only doing this because of the vast increase in the cost of travel and accommodation during school holiday periods.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s clear that fines are not acting as much of a deterrent when set against this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Butlin\u2019s accused of \u2018undermining\u2019 school absence fight<\/a><\/blockquote>