Over the Summer, changes to the law around unauthorised absence have come into effect – we had previously reported on this back in the Spring. This is a national change, not specific to our school or either of the local authorities we work with (Nottingham City and Notts).
- It remains that we cannot authorise holiday in term time. Please do not book holidays in term time. We cannot authorise extended leave abroad to visit family, other than in a proven emergency for which the child’s presence is essential. Even then, we can only authorise up to 10 days. Long term unauthorised absences may lead directly to prosecution and bypass the ‘fine’ stage.
- The fine for unauthorised absence is now £80 per parent per child, rising to £160 if you do not pay within 21 days.
- If you get a second fine in 3 years it will be £160. If you do not pay the fine in 28 days you may be taken to court for keeping your child out of school.
- If your child is off school (unauthorised) 3 or more times within the 3 years you will not be fined but may be taken to court. You could get a fine of up to £2,500, a community order or a jail sentence up to 3 months. The court could also give you a Parenting Order.
As a school, we gain no benefit from any of the above. We simply want to see children in school as much as possible to maximise their learning and establish good habits. We do not want to see families in our community penalised, but will enforce the law as it stands as this is our responsibility and duty.