Latest news with #FightSchoolFines
Daily Mirror
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
'I've taken both my kids out of school during term - current rules are flawed'
Natalie Elliott, the mother behind the campaign group Fight School Fines, has emphasised that the discussion is about far more than getting cheaper holiday deals, with the current inflexible legislation taking a terrible toll on struggling families With MPs set to debate the issue of school penalty charges in Parliament, a mum-of-two is determined to show that the topic is about far more than just wanting cheaper holidays. Under current guidelines, schools must consider fining parents if their child misses ten or more sessions (the equivalent of five school days) without authorisation. Local councils may issue a fine of £80, which doubles to £160 if not paid within a 21-day period. Should this extend to 28 days, the parent in question could face prosecution. As the cost-of-living crisis continues, many argue that these charges place additional pressures on parents who simply can't afford to take their little ones away during peak school holiday times, when package prices soar by an average of 18 per cent. However, Natalie Elliott, the mother behind the campaign group Fight School Fines, is keen to show that the subject of holidays is simply the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this debate. As a mum to two school-aged children, one of whom has additional needs, Natalie knows all too well that there are many reasons why a child may need to be taken out of class. And sadly, she and her family have been affected by the current inflexible legislation. Natalie, from Derbyshire, told the Mirror: "You've also got children with special educational needs and disabilities. Like with my daughter, she's autistic, and she struggles with going anywhere where it's busy. "We have stuck to the rules. We have gone in term time and in school holidays, but when we went last October, and she really struggled. It was so busy, it was just too overwhelming, and it was stressful for all of us. And that has a knock-on effect on my little boy as well because, you know, all he's seeing on his holidays is my daughter kicking off and having meltdowns because she just can't cope in the environment." Although Natalie, 37, has stuck to the rules in terms of family holidays, she has found herself at odds with her nine-year-old daughter's school, after they allegedly refused to let her take the little girl out of class for reasons pertaining to her mental health. The professional mental health worker explained: "In January, she was really struggling with her mental health. She's nine, she's hormonal as well. So, you know, autistic and hormonal together is not a very good combination. And then if school aren't meeting the needs, it's a recipe for disaster. It's like an explosion, really. "She was really struggling, you know, she was refusing to go to school. She's a big girl; you can't drag her into school. But we said we need some time away from the environment." Natalie's daughter goes to a separate school from her seven-year-old son, and she asked both schools where a two day absence could be authorised under "exceptional circumstances" - a decision that she notes is "within the headteacher's remit". Although her son's school authorised the absence, and showed sympathy for the "big knock-on-effect" the situation was having on the little boy, her daughter's school refused. According to Natalie: "They said that they couldn't do it because that's what the framework says, that's what the government guidance states, which is wrong. I didn't challenge it because they did say we're not going to refer you the fines, I just left it. "I wish I had challenged it to be honest. But at the time, I was stressed, everyone's mental health was fraught, so we just took the days off and had a chance to just be together as a family and just try and get away from that situation for a bit. Then, when she did go back to school, she was a lot better, and then I've tried in the meantime to obviously put in more support for her as well, which they have been helping with, you know, as much as they can really." For Natalie, who says the schools are "literally next to each other by proximity", this outcome shows that the current system relies on who the headteacher is, and whether or not "they've got any compassion or empathy or if they know your child and the family enough". According to Natalie, this is a dilemma that many face when parenting children whose needs aren't being met by the school. She pointed to one sad story from one of the campaign group members, who has now been slapped with a criminal record for taking her bullied son out of school. As explained by Natalie, this mother's marriage had recently broken down, and she'd been left unable to pay the fine, despite trying to sort things out with the school. She ended up being sent to court. Natalie, who learned of the woman's plight last year, revealed, "At the time, there wasn't really any support, so no, she didn't challenge it. Now she's got that it's going to stay on a DBS at least for 10 years." Other members of the campaign group have had to pull children out of school to visit dying family members across the country or overseas, only for the school to mark this down on the register as a 'Code G' - ie an unauthorised family holiday. Natalie said: "This is an offence, because it's a legal document and they need to be held accountable." She went on to emphasise: "I really do think education is important. I'm doing an open university degree myself, so I know the importance of education, but I don't think we should be prioritising that over the well-being of our children." The petition to allow parents to take their children out of school for up to 10 days fine-free free has gained more than 180,000 signatures, with plenty of parents being able to related to the challenges faced by Natalie and her family. This petition argues: "We're seeking reform to the punitive policy for term time leave that disproportionately impacts families that are already under immense pressure and criminalises parents that we think are making choices in the best interests of their families. No family should face criminal convictions." The Government has since issued the following response: "We are determined to break down barriers to opportunity by supporting every child to achieve and thrive at school, working with parents and protecting children's right to education. On holidays in particular, we understand that some parents wish to avoid peak periods. "However, the school year is structured in such a way as to provide plenty of time throughout the year for holidays outside of term-time, and schools also have considerable flexibility to plan term dates themselves, and hold inset days and other occasional days at less busy times of the year."
Daily Mirror
18-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Age you can legally take your child out of school for a holiday during term-time
Parents might soon be able to take their children out of school for up to 10 days a year without facing hefty fines. MPs are set to discuss the prospect in Parliament after a petition gained traction in light of shock figures released from the campaign group Fight School Fines. The figures show that an average package holiday jumps by 18 per cent during school breaks, with some destinations witnessing price surges as high as 28 per cent per traveller. The expense can double, or even triple in some cases, when sticking to designated holiday periods, making it impossible for some families to enjoy a getaway. Now having accumulated more than 181,000 signatures, the petition reads: "We're seeking reform to the punitive policy for term time leave that disproportionately impacts families that are already under immense pressure and criminalises parents that we think are making choices in the best interests of their families. No family should face criminal convictions." It then adds: "We are calling for reform of legislation on taking children out of school urgently." In its response to the petition, the Government has said: "We are determined to break down barriers to opportunity by supporting every child to achieve and thrive at school, working with parents and protecting children's right to education. On holidays in particular, we understand that some parents wish to avoid peak periods. "However, the school year is structured in such a way as to provide plenty of time throughout the year for holidays outside of term-time, and schools also have considerable flexibility to plan term dates themselves, and hold inset days and other occasional days at less busy times of the year." So, when is it possible to take a child out of school during term-time? And when can you find yourself being penalised? Children must get an education between the school term after their 5th birthday and the last Friday in June in the school year they turn 16. You'll be contacted by the school if your child doesn't turn up, even if they're only absent for a day. This means any child under the age of five in reception can legally miss school. A child can also miss school if they are too ill to go in, or if parents or guardians have obtained permission in advance from the school. Headteachers at state schools in England can give permission for term-time absences in "exceptional circumstances". Circumstances can include visiting a seriously ill family member, attending a close family member's funeral, or if a family member in the Armed Forces is returning from operations. Children can also be absent from school if they have a medical appointment or when they are absent for religious observance. Under the national rules, all schools are required to consider a fine when a child has missed 10 or more sessions (5 days) for unauthorised reasons. A parent can be fined £80 by their local council. If it's not paid within 21 days, it can rise to £160. From the 2024 to 2025 school year, each parent will only get up to two fines for the same child in a three-year period. If you get a second fine in three 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 three or more times within the three years without reason, you will not be fined but may be taken to court. Figures from the Department of Education show for the 2023/24 school year, councils issued 443,322 fines for unauthorised holidays (out of a total of 487,344 total unauthorised absences). That's an increase of 22 per cent from 398,800 compared to the 22/23 school year.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Parents fined nearly £1m over school absences
Derbyshire County Council has generated nearly £1m from fines issued for unauthorised school absences, a Freedom of Information Act request has revealed. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) obtained figures which show the authority issued 20,487 penalties since 2021, totalling £961,320, over the three academic years since 2021-22. The county council said the fines had been issued at the request of head teachers and according to the law. However, mother-of-two Natalie, from Marehay near Ripley, has started a national campaign, called Fight School Fines, to get the law changed. She has started a petition, so far signed by 161,000 people, calling for parents to be entitled to 10 days of term-time leave without a fine. "A lot of these fines that are being issued and prosecutions for unauthorised absences aren't due to just going on holiday because they want to get it cheaper, which is the media narrative," Natalie said. "They are marking things down that should fall under exceptional circumstances. "For example, we are seeing loads of stories from parents where they have asked for authorised leave to visit family members who are poorly, or they have gone to a funeral overseas and they are not marking it as authorised, they are refusing it." The number of fines issued in Derbyshire in 2021 was 3,175 and that rose to 10,505 in 2023-24. Fine amounts stand at £160 per parent, per child, with this fee reducing to £80 if paid within 21 days. The council said 16,064 fines were for first-time offenders and 1,567 for second offences, with parents only able to accrue two penalties in a three-year rolling period before being prosecuted in court. Council figures show 1,016 Derbyshire parents have been prosecuted in the past three complete academic years , with six cases being withdrawn. Court fines do qualify as a criminal conviction and are attached to a criminal record, which would need to be added to a DBS check, the LDRS said. "I am not surprised to see it going up," Natalie said. "They say it will act as a deterrent, but clearly it is not doing because people still need to take leave during term-time. "Even if it is a cost thing, they are doing it to save money, we don't know the reason why they can't afford to go in the holidays. "It is not so black and white as people make out. Some people work seasonal jobs or run their own businesses, they can't just shut up shop. "It doesn't act as a deterrent. "It is criminalising parents. "Many parents don't know that what comes with that court fine is a criminal record. "Most of the time, parents are doing it because it is the best decision for them and their children. They are our children, they are not the state's. "Having a criminal record for this is one step too far. "I know families need to access term-time absence and that will never stop. "This isn't just about being on holiday and getting a cheaper holiday." The LDRS said it asked the county council if it felt the penalties were serving as a deterrent, if they could respond to the perception that the penalties were criminalising parents, and if parents were saying they were willing to accept the fines to gain term-time holiday savings. A council spokesperson said: "Headteachers ask us to issue the fines, so this is one for schools and not the council. "We respond to headteacher requests, we do not make the policies that schools make that lead to fines being issued. "The government sets the penalty fines amounts. "This is the law and not the council's decision," the spokesperson added. The Department for Education, responding to Natalie's petition in December, said: "We sympathise with parents who, for a variety of reasons, face barriers to securing their children's school attendance. "This government is taking a new approach to tackling absence based on responsibility, partnership and belonging." It said that involved working with schools and councils to remove barriers to attendance. The spokesperson said: "The government takes seriously its responsibility to ensure that schools are equipped to meet children's needs and help them succeed, but that is matched by parents' legal responsibility to send their children to school every day that they can. The department said it acknowledged some children had long-term physical or mental health conditions or special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) which affected attendance. The spokesperson added: "However, all of these children have the same need and right to a full-time education as any other pupil." Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. 'Paying £240 holiday school fine was a no-brainer' School holiday fines at a record high Derbyshire County Council Department for Education Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Parents in Derbyshire fined nearly £1m over school absences
Derbyshire County Council has generated nearly £1m from fines issued for unauthorised school absences, a Freedom of Information Act request has Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) obtained figures which show the authority issued 20,487 penalties since 2021, totalling £961,320, over the three academic years since county council said the fines had been issued at the request of head teachers and according to the mother-of-two Natalie, from Marehay near Ripley, has started a national campaign, called Fight School Fines, to get the law changed. She has started a petition, so far signed by 161,000 people, calling for parents to be entitled to 10 days of term-time leave without a fine. "A lot of these fines that are being issued and prosecutions for unauthorised absences aren't due to just going on holiday because they want to get it cheaper, which is the media narrative," Natalie said."They are marking things down that should fall under exceptional circumstances."For example, we are seeing loads of stories from parents where they have asked for authorised leave to visit family members who are poorly, or they have gone to a funeral overseas and they are not marking it as authorised, they are refusing it."The number of fines issued in Derbyshire in 2021 was 3,175 and that rose to 10,505 in amounts stand at £160 per parent, per child, with this fee reducing to £80 if paid within 21 council said 16,064 fines were for first-time offenders and 1,567 for second offences, with parents only able to accrue two penalties in a three-year rolling period before being prosecuted in figures show 1,016 Derbyshire parents have been prosecuted in the past three complete academic years , with six cases being fines do qualify as a criminal conviction and are attached to a criminal record, which would need to be added to a DBS check, the LDRS said. 'It's criminalising parents' "I am not surprised to see it going up," Natalie said."They say it will act as a deterrent, but clearly it is not doing because people still need to take leave during term-time."Even if it is a cost thing, they are doing it to save money, we don't know the reason why they can't afford to go in the holidays."It is not so black and white as people make out. Some people work seasonal jobs or run their own businesses, they can't just shut up shop."It doesn't act as a deterrent."It is criminalising parents. "Many parents don't know that what comes with that court fine is a criminal record. "Most of the time, parents are doing it because it is the best decision for them and their children. They are our children, they are not the state's."Having a criminal record for this is one step too far."I know families need to access term-time absence and that will never stop."This isn't just about being on holiday and getting a cheaper holiday." The LDRS said it asked the county council if it felt the penalties were serving as a deterrent, if they could respond to the perception that the penalties were criminalising parents, and if parents were saying they were willing to accept the fines to gain term-time holiday savings.A council spokesperson said: "Headteachers ask us to issue the fines, so this is one for schools and not the council."We respond to headteacher requests, we do not make the policies that schools make that lead to fines being issued. "The government sets the penalty fines amounts."This is the law and not the council's decision," the spokesperson added. The Department for Education, responding to Natalie's petition in December, said: "We sympathise with parents who, for a variety of reasons, face barriers to securing their children's school attendance."This government is taking a new approach to tackling absence based on responsibility, partnership and belonging."It said that involved working with schools and councils to remove barriers to spokesperson said: "The government takes seriously its responsibility to ensure that schools are equipped to meet children's needs and help them succeed, but that is matched by parents' legal responsibility to send their children to school every day that they department said it acknowledged some children had long-term physical or mental health conditions or special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) which affected spokesperson added: "However, all of these children have the same need and right to a full-time education as any other pupil."
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Real cost of a 2025 summer holiday as families priced out or fined
The cost of family holidays is climbing steeply just as penalties for term-time travel hit new records. According to a report by Which?, the average price of a package holiday has risen by 4.2% since last year, with popular destinations like Bulgaria seeing even steeper increases of up to 11.5%, adding £119 more per person. For a family of four, that's nearly £500 in additional costs to travel during the summer break. With travel costs outpacing wages and the cost of living still high, many parents are choosing cheaper term-time holidays despite the risk of fines. Some 487,300 penalty notices were issued for unauthorised absences in England in 2023/24 with a staggering 91% were for term-time holidays, according to the Department for Education. Read more: How to save money on your holiday to Switzerland That's up 69% compared with pre-pandemic levels. Money from term-time holiday fines goes to the local authority to fund attendance support and cover administration costs. Any surplus is returned to the government. Rakia, a mother of four from east London, was fined £240 after taking her children out of school three days early last June to travel to Turkey but thought the penalty was worth it. 'I work hard, pay my taxes, and shouldn't have to choose between my children and following a school calendar that doesn't work for struggling families like mine,' she told Yahoo News. 'We live in an overcrowded flat in a high-crime area. My kids deserved a holiday. Just because we can't afford peak prices doesn't mean they should miss out,' she added. Rakia, who works full-time, usually fills the summer with low-cost day trips and free local activities but last year, she decided a term-time family holiday was worth the fine. She's one of thousands of parents facing the same dilemma. Derbyshire mother Natalie Elliott launched the Fight School Fines campaign after being fined twice. Her petition calling for up to 10 days of permitted term-time leave has now surpassed 150,000 signatures and will be debated in parliament later this year. The sharp rise in term-time fines highlights not only the escalating cost of travel but also a tightening approach to school attendance enforcement. Joanna Lovell, head of news at Netmums, told Yahoo News: "This is one of the most emotionally charged aspects of the debate. Parents deeply value education, but many say it's unfair to force a choice between schooling and family wellbeing." Lovell says the Fight School Fines petition marks a pivotal moment for parents, with their concerns finally set to be heard in parliament. However, the petitions committee has yet to confirm a date for the debate. A spokesperson for ABTA, the UK's travel trade association, acknowledged that holiday prices spike during school breaks, attributing it largely to global supply and demand. 'Holidays are part of a global market; many other countries have school holiday periods similar to those in the UK, meaning that all these countries are competing for holidays with the same suppliers which affects the price,' an ABTA spokesperson told Yahoo News. Which? points to rising hotel energy costs, fuel prices, air traffic delays, and aircraft supply shortages as major contributors. After analysing 8,122 August 2025 holiday prices, it found a typical package to Turkey now costs £1,296 per person – or £5,184 for a family of four. By comparison, Rakia's term-time trip last June cost just over £3,000, saving her more than £2,000. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the School Leaders' Union (NAHT), says school fines aren't working. 'Exorbitant holiday pricing is forcing families into impossible choices. It's time the government worked with the travel sector to address the real issue,' Whiteman told Yahoo News. Read more: How to save money on a holiday to Dubai The education charity School Home Support told Yahoo News it has urged the government to review the impact of fines on vulnerable families in its Route Map plan, warning they risk pushing people further into financial hardship. As prices soar and policies remain inflexible, many families are left juggling financial strain and legal consequences. Without reforms to pricing or attendance rules, summer 2025 may again be marked by impossible decisions. ABTA says families should book early to secure the best deals. 'Our members do strive to provide holidays at competitive prices, as well as offering free child places and other money-saving incentives for early bookers,' said ABTA. Which? recommends booking a summer package in January, picking value destinations like Dalaman, Agadir or the Canary Islands, and travelling in late August if school holiday timing is unavoidable. All-inclusive deals and price comparisons – especially with operators that pledge no 2025 surcharges – can also help bring down the cost. Read more: The life lesson behind a 335-year-old funeral business? 'Never sleep on an argument' How 'Netflix and Spotify for textbooks' aims to become a European edtech success story Meet the company that finds 'must-haves' to make everyday life easierSign in to access your portfolio
