What's the fine for unauthorised school absence?

[Concestor]

All I can find online is that it says £60 per parent per child but no reference to the timescale. Per day? Per week? Per absence period?

I find it odd that the government guidance doesn't specify, it's very vague.

Your school should have a published policy that sets out how they deal with this.

Per day

It’s £120 per child per parent (regardless of length of length of absence). This would be for each period of absence. The fine is halved to £60 if paid within 21 days. Any step parents will be fined also.

@unspeakableIsUnbearable

Per day

No it’s not, it’s per absence, be it 5 days or 50

It’s a fine if they miss 10 sessions which is equivalent to 5 days where we are, so £60 per parent. £120 in total for a week. The odd day would just go down as unauthorised absence.

@Secrettoday

It’s £120 per child per parent (regardless of length of length of absence). This would be for each period of absence. The fine is halved to £60 if paid within 21 days. Any step parents will be fined also.

I hope/am certain you're talking shite. I'm not paying a fine if either of my stepchilds parents take them out of school unauthorised.

I can assure you as an attendance officer it’s gospel

@Secrettoday

It’s £120 per child per parent (regardless of length of length of absence). This would be for each period of absence. The fine is halved to £60 if paid within 21 days. Any step parents will be fined also.

So if someone takes a holiday in term time the fine would be a total of £120?

Per parent/carer/stepparent of each child. If you pay straight away it will be halved to £60.

@Secrettoday

I can assure you as an attendance officer it’s gospel

I thought that it was only those with parental responsibility, so on the birth certificate and named when starting the school, who could be fined?

I’ve attached our County FAQs

It’s £60 per parent per absence. On every thread you get some poster trotting out per day , no idea why?
Care to explain @unspeakableIsUnbearable is it just to wind people up, or do you just believe playground gossip?

Fines only kick in after 10 sessions though. If possible take your child in Monday morning.

Yes. £60 per parent per child.

There are 3 parents in my house hold. Only two got fined. The mother and the father. No step parents.

It still worked out cheaper than going during half term

My school unauthorise it but don't fine. You maybe lucky.

It's for every 5 day period. We went for 9 days so got fined £120 for one child, had we taken her out for 10 it would have been another £120

What do they do with the cash?

Is a step parent an actual legal thing? I thought it was just a sort of explanation of a role in a child life.

F out of interest x

@zurala yes.
We are taking the kids out for 1 day next Friday … I’ve filled out a form and it will go down as unauthorised absence and that’s it.

If I was taking them out for a week (10 sessions = 5 days) then me and my husband would be fined £60 each for each child…so 1 child would be £120…so £240 for the pair of the, for the week. We are not intending to though.

@Daisy03

It's for every 5 day period. We went for 9 days so got fined £120 for one child, had we taken her out for 10 it would have been another £120

No it’s not, I got fined in 2019 £120 for taking DD on holiday for 2 weeks, that was £60 per parent.

Backinblackagain this was this Christmas gone. Maybe different county to county but we were told £60 per parent per child for each 5 day period missed, so we were charged £120 as we were away 9 rather than 2

How does it work if a parent is absent, never been to the school but on the bc? 🤔

@zurala I'm an education welfare officer - I issue these fines. There is plenty of incorrect advice on this thread. Message me privately if you want to

So in situations like mine where there is only 1 parent registered on school details and the whereabouts of the other is unknown - what happens?