EDUCATION chiefs at Hertfordshire County Council have issued hundreds of fines to parents who have taken their children out of school without permission since September, it has emerged.

According to data published by the county council, 456 fines have been issued to parents since the start of the 2023/24 academic year.

And fines collected in Hertfordshire already this academic year amount to £22,400.

During the entire 2022/23 academic year – running from September to September – the council’s data shows 1611 fines were levied against parents for taking their children out of school without permission. And this, according to  the data, resulted in fines collected of £63,720.

The year earlier in 2021/22, the data shows there were 933 fines issued and the council collected £15.420 in fines.

The data was issued in response to the question “how many fines have been handed out to parents for taking their children out of school without permission?’.

It had been requested under Freedom of Information legislation and has been published on the Hertfordshire County Council website.

Typically a fine would amount to £60 if paid within three weeks  – but then increasing to £120.
However  the government has indicated it intends to increase fines for unauthorised absence from £60 to £80, under a national framework – increasing to £160 if not paid within 21 days.

Commenting on the data, a spokesperson for the county council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “A good education is key to providing children with the best start in life, and as a county of opportunity it’s vital that children attend school regularly.

“We believe that schools are best placed to understand the reasons why a student may be absent and with the clear guidance we provide to all schools, issuing a fine to a parent or guardian is a last resort.”

The fines – or penalty notices – are intended to be an alternative to prosecution.
And they can be issued to “each” parent parent or carer liable for the “offence”, in respect of each child.

According to guidance on unauthorised absence penalty notices issued to schools and academies by the county council pupils must have missed 15 or more half-day sessions in a single term.
And a maximum of two separate penalty notices can be issued to a parent or carer within a 12 month period.

Monies raised from the fines is retained by the council to cover the administration of the scheme and any legal actions arising from it.