Fines increase for parents failing to get their child to attend school

In Staffordshire fines issued rose from 808 in 2014/15 to 1,643 in 2015/16 – when 132 parents were prosecuted.

In Dudley the number of fines increased from 370 to 844, with 172 prosecuted, and in Sandwell they almost doubled from 113 to 216, with four prosecuted.

In Walsall the number of fines went up from 1,517 to 1,770, but no one was prosecuted last year. The only exception to this trend was Wolverhampton where fines fell from 698 to 645 with 42 prosecuted.

The issue of fines to parents for pupil's non-attendance hit the news last year when a father in the Isle of Wight was fined £120 after he took his daughter out of school for a holiday in term time.

The High Court decided his punishment was unlawful, leading Staffordshire Council to suspend the practice of fining parents for going away with their children during term time.

Councillor Claire Darke, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Education, said: "We want the best possible education for children in Wolverhampton, and for this to happen, they need to be attending school.

"By permitting their children to be off school in anything other than exceptional circumstances, parents are not only undermining the work of the school but also compromising their child's learning and development."

Councillor Ben Adams, Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills at Staffordshire County Council, said: "We are clear that there is a direct link between regular attendance and improved performance in the classroom, and parents have a duty to work closely with schools to ensure their child attends regularly.

"However, we also understand that with the rising cost of holidays and work commitments, taking holidays out of term time isn't always possible for a lot of parents.

"The granting of holidays in term time is down to each individual school, who directly apply Department for Education guidelines.

"The county council is not involved in any holiday decision; we simply administer fines based on the information given to us by headteachers."

Dudley Council's Tony Oakman said: "It is the continued policy of Dudley borough schools that leave of absence for pupils during term time will not be authorised except in exceptional circumstances. This figure includes term-time holidays as well as episodes of truancy or children simply not attending school."

Chris Ward, director of education, skills and employment, at Sandwell Council, said: "

In the main, we find that parents respond positively to our support and this means that fines are paid which keeps the numbers of prosecutions low."