New data has revealed how much Blackburn with Darwen parents were fined for unauthorised absences during school term time. 

An FOI, submitted by the Lancashire Telegraph, asked how much parents were fined for taking children out of school in term time, in Blackburn with Darwen. 

The data revealed that parents in the borough were issued invoices totalling £169,260 in the last financial year (April 2023 to March 2024).

A spokesperson for the council said fixed penalty notices are issued for unauthorised absence with the majority of these being issued for term time holidays. It said the money is used to “administer the system including court costs” and is also used to “fund attendance support in the borough.”

Last year’s data is the largest figure in five years. In the 2022/2023 year, £117,240 of invoices were raised.

In 2021/2022 the figure was £45,300 and in 2019/2020 it was £91,440.

In 2020, £4,320 worth of fines were raised but this financial year was impacted by the pandemic, where children were not in school for several months. According to the council, a number of credit notes were raised for invoices from the previous year. This was due to Covid and the suspension of notices.

A council spokesperson said: “Fixed penalty notices are issued for unauthorised absence with the majority of these being issued for term time holidays. In an effort to provide consistency across the country, a national framework for penalty notices came into force from August 19, 2024. Headteachers must now consider requesting a fixed penalty notice where children miss 10 sessions (usually equivalent to five school days) within a rolling 10-week period.

“Headteachers can authorise absence in exceptional circumstances, however the Department for Education do not consider a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance.

“Schools in Blackburn with Darwen work closely with families and promote the message that every moment in school counts, however where a request for a penalty notice is made by a school, we consider if the notice should be issued in line with the national framework, our local code of conduct, the public interest and after considering any obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

"The money raised by the issuing of fines is used to administer the system, including court costs, and also to fund attendance support in the borough.”

A mum-of-five young children was arrested and spent a night in police custody after failing to turn up to court over ‘unpaid school fines’.

The mum said the arrest relates to outstanding fines for three children who were marked absent by the school.

Lancashire police confirmed they had carried out an arrest warrant issued by a magistrates court for the 32-year-old at an address in Carleton Street, Nelson on Monday 22 July.

The mum said: “I was shocked and I think it is disgusting that this can happen.

“I am not a criminal and I should be treated like one. I am trying to raise my kids. But it is not easy.”

According to the Government website, all schools are required to consider a fine when a child has missed 10 or more sessions (five days) for unauthorised reasons. 

From August 2024, the fine for school absences across the country is £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days. This rate is in line with inflation and is the first increase since 2012. 

In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160. 

Fines per parent will be capped at two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action like a parenting order or prosecution will be considered. 

If you’re prosecuted and attend court because your child hasn’t been attending school, you could get a fine of up to £2,500. 

Money raised via fines is only used by the local authority to cover the costs of administering the system, and to fund attendance support. Any extra money is returned to the Government.

Your child must attend every day that the school is open, unless: 

  • Your child is too ill to attend that day. 
  • You have asked in advance and been given permission by the school for your child to be absent on that day due to exceptional circumstances. 
  • Your child cannot attend school on that day because it is a day you are taking part in religious observance. 
  • Your local authority is responsible for arranging your child’s transport to school and it is not available on that day or has not been provided yet. 
  • You are a gypsy/traveller family with no fixed abode, and you are required to travel for work that day meaning your child cannot attend their usual school.