Parents’ holiday loophole closed in bid to improve school attendance in district

A LEGAL loophole used by some parents to dodge fixed penalty fines for taking children out of school in Rotherham for holidays is set to close from the start of the new academic year as the council seeks to improve attendance rates.

Until now, parents have risked a fixed penalty fine if they have applied for an authorised absence from the school, had it rejected and gone ahead with a holiday absence anyway because headteachers have only been able to impose fines where they have been able to demonstrate a child has been taken on holiday.

As a result some parents have not applied for authority to take children out of school, simply taking a break in term time leaving the school unable to prove they were away from home.

However, the council’s ruling cabinet has now authorised changes to the rules which mean fines can be imposed for any unauthorised absence, with the change expected to become active from the start of the new academic year next month.

Numbers of fixed penalties have already risen sharply in the town, with 453 issued in the last financial year, costing parents a total of £23,760, compared to 295 two years previously when the overall bill amounted to £14,760.

Those who pay quickly face a £60 charge, rising to £120 if it is not settled within 21 days.

It will still be up to headteachers to make decisions on applying the new rules, which will work in conjunction with a new attendance target for both primary and secondary schools.

In future all pupils will be expected to be in class for 95.3 per cent of the time, a figure slightly down on the 95.5 per cent attained by primaries, but up on the 94 per cent average for secondary schools.

When pupils’ attendance drops below that figure, fixed penalties can be issued. In practice, it will mean the average secondary school pupil needing to attend school for an extra 2.5 days per year to hit the target.