To think raising school absenteeism fines won’t help much.

[Boomer55]

Fines for parents taking children out of school without permission will rise across England from September.
The minimum fine will increase from £60 to £80 per parent as part of a government drive to return attendance to pre-pandemic levels.
One school told BBC News one out of every three of its pupils absent without permission had been on a family holiday during term time.
A head teachers' union said fines were needed to avoid "chaos" in schools.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-68420275

Yanbu. When are they going to think about WHY nobody wants to attend rather than waving a big stick around?

Save £500 vs fine of £80. Maths still adds up.

Did the first set of fine work? No? Why would an increase work?

I think fines are outrageous anyway. The school doesn’t own the children.

I got fined for taking my kid out for 4 days. At the end of the school year, her attendance record was 97% because they were the only days she had off that year (she was fortunate not to pick up a bug that term).

This year, we're taking her out for 2 days before May half term. If its the same as last year, one of those days will be class treat afternoon watching a movie, the other day will be the school talent show (which she doesnt want to enter) - so its not like she's missing a huge amount of education. I'm just going to email in and say she's been sick, and as per the 48 hr rule, she won't be allowed in.

I don't like lying. I like to be honest, and I don't think it's teaching her the right thing - but the reality is that after continuous lockdowns, sending kids home at the first sniff and the ongoing strike days last year, the government don't have any moral highground to start issuing fines.

This too!

People who take their kids out of school for a cheap holiday won't give a flying f and will just pay the fine.
Those who take their kids out of school due to other reasons like mental health will end up struggling and they or their childs mental health will get worse.
So....yeah. No.
Stupid government.

No, I can’t see it working too well, although HT’s and the government think it will, if it’s enforced.

The maths do still add up if it’s about going on holiday.

If parents cannot get their children to go to, and remain in school, despite their best efforts, maybe because of mental health issues, fining them won’t help.

For those parents who just don’t bother about sending their kids to school, I can’t see the increasing the fine will help.

Plus, the criteria will be 10 “sessions”, which is half days, over 10 weeks, or 5 full days, (according to the education minister on radio this morning), it doesn’t leave much flexibility for genuine physical bugs and illnesses.🙄

It’s absolutely batshit.

firstly because it won’t work.

Secondly because I fundamentally disagree with the idea that children shouldn’t be able to finish term a couple of days early if it means their family can afford a holiday, if that child’s attendance is otherwise good.

I may be wrong but don't the fines start if it's ten sessions missed consecutively on unauthorised absence?

I don't think so. I was told that fines would start from day one - that's why we were shocked to receive a fine, because it was 4 days, so 8 sessions.

There's a weird thing where the fine is the same for one day of holiday or a month of holiday - therein lies the bloody problem! I suspect most people taking time out of school are like us, tacking a day or two either side of a school holiday rather than taking 2 weeks in the middle of term

Of course not. It isn't enough to make term time holidays less financially attractive and obviously it won't tackle any of the underlying issues relating to more serious absence problems.

I'm quite surprised the government are being this stupid actually, they must be able to see how unpopular this policy is with parents.

So it's from day one of unauthorised absences? Otherwise I'm fecked with dd2 her attendance is 88%!

I think it depends on where you live. I have friends in W Yorkshire who will only get fined if they go over 10 sessions (5 full days) unauthorised, but where I am in the W Midlands they start from day 1.

Fining on Day 1 instead of Day 5 just incentivises people to take a fully term time holiday for maximum savings, instead of nicking a couple of days either side of the holidays as more of a compromise option.

It's the only way they can think of to improve attendance without actually spending any money.

We're in Wales not sure it applies here - but Y10 they sit exams and do course work that are part of GCSE grades.

Youngest in Y10 - one friend change school due to family house move to another town, another missed half a week for cousin wedding, another is aboard while family compete buying a holiday home - another is on holiday.

I don't get it - you'd think they'd want their kids education as disrupted as little as possible this year and next but no. So I can see why HT and government are getting frustated.

However I think these fines will just get factored into costs for holidays especially is 6 weeks holiday is reduced - and drag in kids who are school refusing due to SEN or mental health issues.

Surprised to see a head teachers union spokesman stupid enough to think fines are a good idea. Unless he's been very selectively quoted or something.

This. Exactly this.

Are they going to invest that money into CAMHS and SEND, to ensure that young people who are unable to attend due to a learning disability, undiagnosed disability, mental health problem etc, will get the support they need ?

Thought not ..

The problem is (going by these comments) people are focusing on the "cheap holidays" part of it.
But many many families who are recieving these fines couldn't afford a holiday if they wanted one.
Their children are off school due to (diagnosed or un-diagnosed) SEN issues, mental health issues, genuine frequent illnesses etc.
The families are often short of money because one parent cannot work due to caring for their child (and with no official diagnosis they can't always claim financial help). That £80 fine can be the families food budget for week, the choice between paying the rent or the heating bill.
It could put the families into a constant overdraft or debt that they can't escape from.
Ironically children are frequently told they can't attend school because they don't have the correct uniform. They don't have it because their parents can't afford it. So what will happen - they have to pay a frigging £80 fine.
This is the same issue on the "changing summer holidays to 4 weeks" threads. To much focus on "oh people won't be able to go on holiday" or "who wants to go on holiday in October?" etc but this issue (school attendance) needs to be focusing on the real reasons why children are not in school.
It's not so they can go on a cheap holiday.

Won't make a jot of difference. Still going to be a hell of a lot cheaper to pay the fine and go on holiday in term time. We will be taking our 12 year old daughter out this year to go to NYC. She's had 4 days absence in almost 5 years,she's way above all her targets and since 11 she's had the reading age of a 15 year old.

I wish they'd take the child's attendance etc into account tbh.

Sure, but this is a big part of the reason people are saying it'll do sod all to increase attendance. The issues you mention will be unaffected.

@Vod yes the holiday crowd will still get their holiday. They won't care and they won't be the families suffering and struggling.

Except it's not just £80 per child. It's £160 as both parents will be fined separately. If you have two children it will be a £320 fine for taking them on holiday in term time.

Ok, so if it's a big holiday making huge savings for going in term time, then understandable to absorb cost of the fine as still cheaper overall. But for a fairly low budget week in the sun type holiday, the more these fines go up, the less the numbers will balance out in terms of savings.

It just seems to punish families who work hard and would just like to get away for a holiday once a year. Just feels deeply unfair, punishment to the wrong people and actually does absolutely nothing to sort out the issues with pupils who really do have issues with low attendance.