School fines net authority £190k
Hampshire County Council received £189,387 from school penalty notices due to unauthorised absences in the last academic year (2021/22).
With summer around the corner and inflation increasing flight and accommodation prices – which are already much higher during holiday times–someparentstaketheir children out of school during termtime, even though they could face a penalty notice for an unauthorised absence.
A penalty notice is a fine which may be issued as an alternative to prosecution. If paid, it does not require a court appearance nor result in a criminal record.
Last year the county council received £189,387 in penalties for non-attendance.
The local authority said: ‘In line with national penalty notices regulations (Reg. 23), the money paid in penalties is used to issue and enforce penalty notices and prosecute recipients who do not pay.
‘Penalty notices are only issued as a last resort after all other measures have been exhausted.’
Some examples of unauthorised absences can include the sickness of a parent or another family member, the child being used as a carer, problems with transport, days off for birthdays, shopping trips or family holidays.
According to Hampshire County Council guidelines, ‘if your children’s attendance and punctuality fail, the local authority has a statutory duty to consider legal actions to enforce school attendance’.
In the first instance, if your child has an ‘ongoing pattern of unauthorised absence’, you will likely receive a written warning of the possibility of a penalty notice.
This warning will advise you about your child’s absences and warn you that ‘if your child’s attendance does not show a significant maintained improvement, a penalty notice may be issued without further warning’.
Fines should be paid within 21 days of ‘deemed service’. If paid after 21 days but within 28 days, the penalty is £120.
Suppose you fail to make any payment within 28 days. In that case, it will consider commencing proceedings in the magistrates’ court for the original offence of failing to ensure regular attendance.
In Hampshire, penalty notices are issued when a pupil has had 10 or more half-day sessions (equivalent to five school days) of unauthorised absence in the last period of 10 school weeks.