Absence fine concerns “This year marks the 25th year of the Barnardo’s Big Toddle."
The results of our latest survey have found that most parents disagree with schools or local authorities imposing fines on families for unauthorised absences.
While 73% of parents in general disagree with the punitive measure, the figure rises to more than nine in 10 (91%) where the parent has a child with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The findings come as the Department for Education consults on school attendance, putting forward proposals for implementing a more consistent national framework for interventions including penalty notices for absence.
Although parents backed some of the measures such as favouring a requirement on schools to publish an attendance policy, they did not tend to agree that all schools should use the same penalties for unauthorised absences.
Parents of children with SEND were especially opposed, with only 20% agreeing and more than two thirds (69%) disagreeing.
Parents in their position may consider that universal rules would not benefit special schools or mainstream schools with a high percentage of students with SEND.
Punitive measures such as parental fines should only ever be used as a last resort, when all other interventions have been tried.
Parents, who are ultimately responsible for their child, want to be able to make reasonable decisions on behalf of their families.
Where this involves term-time absence, they want schools to consider authorising absences on a case by case basis.
A flexibility for head teachers to judge each appeal on its merits rather than simply apply the letter of the law regardless of parents' unique situations is what we would like policymakers to consider.
John Jolly, Parentkind CEO.