The Department for Education (DfE) has reiterated the rules regarding term-time holidays, amid ongoing discussions about school attendance and parental rights. This clarification comes as almost half a million penalty notices were issued to parents in England during the 2024-25 academic year for unauthorised absences.
Recent research, conducted over three years by the youth charity Impetus in partnership with polling firm Public First, highlights a growing attendance challenge in schools across England and Wales. Data shows that one in five pupils is now missing at least 10% of school sessions.
Educators involved in the research admitted they too would consider taking their children on holidays during term time under current circumstances. One teacher commented, “If I wasn’t a teacher, I would take my daughter out of school and take her on holiday because it would be cheaper.” Another added, “If it’s the only holiday you get to experience in a five-year period, I think that’s probably worth more than a week in school in January.”
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The DfE stated that local councils and schools have the authority to issue fines when children miss school without valid reasons. Parents can be fined £80 per child, per parent, rising to £160 if the fine is not paid within 21 days. From the 2024-25 academic year, each parent may only receive two fines per child within a three-year period. A second fine within this timeframe will be £160. Failure to pay within 28 days might lead to court proceedings.
Additionally, children with three or more unauthorised absences within three years may not result in fines but could prompt legal action.
School leaders also raised concerns about meeting the needs of vulnerable pupils. One senior staff member said, “We’ve got children who should have specialist provision, and they’re in our building every day. We also need external agencies such as CAMHS [Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services] and social workers to have the right capacity and not turn us down.”
Susannah Hardyman, CEO of Impetus, remarked on the wider challenges affecting attendance: “We now know that not only are pupils, families and teachers unconvinced that every day in school matters, but what we are facing is a wider crisis of disengagement driven by pressures often outside the control of school staff.”