Key facts
- Parents in England are being prosecuted for their children's school absences.
- Fines and potential prison sentences are penalties for persistent non-attendance.
- Term-time holidays are the primary reason for most penalty notices issued.
- Overall school absence rates remain above pre-pandemic levels.
- One mother cited bullying as the reason for her son's severe absence, with the case adjourned for evidence.
- A record number of penalty notices for unauthorized absences were issued in 2024-25.
Parents in England are increasingly being summoned to court for their children's school absences, facing fines and potential custodial sentences as authorities attempt to improve attendance rates that have not recovered since the Covid-19 pandemic. In Margate, magistrates heard cases where parents cited reasons ranging from family bereavements and illness to the availability of cheaper travel during term time.
The overall absence rate for the academic year 2025-26 stood at 6.93%, a slight increase from the previous year and significantly higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 4.7%. Persistent absence, defined as missing at least 10% of school, has doubled since the pandemic, affecting nearly one in five children.
One father admitted to taking his daughter on a 10-day holiday during term time, pushing her attendance below 75%. He explained the trip was prompted by the recent deaths of two close friends and his partner's illness, rather than a desire for cheaper travel. Despite his explanations and his daughter's reported engagement with schoolwork, he was fined £166.
Local authority officials emphasized that 'cheap travel is not a defence' for term-time absences, a reason cited in over 90% of the record 492,825 penalty notices issued nationwide in 2024-25. This figure represents a sharp rise from the 333,388 penalties issued in 2018-19.
A more serious charge was brought against a mother whose 14-year-old son had an attendance rate of just 19%. Her case was adjourned to allow for evidence to be gathered regarding severe bullying her son had experienced, which she stated was the reason for keeping him home. The mother, who has dyslexia, is also concerned about her son's social isolation.
Education minister Paul Waugh acknowledged the slow progress in returning attendance to pre-pandemic levels, noting a particular increase in absences on Fridays. The cases highlight a perceived 'seismic shift' in parental attitudes towards full-time school attendance post-pandemic.