UK education ministry confused as parents prefer to keep children out of school for family holidays

UK Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has warned parents to ensure their children attend school or face consequences, after a record number of families were fined for breaking term-time absence rules.

According to a VNA correspondent in London, in the past school year, more than 443,000 fines were imposed on parents who let their children take time off from school during the semester to go on vacation, an increase of 53% compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the 2018-2019 school year, the last before the pandemic forced most children to stay home, only 288,000 fine notices were issued by local authorities.

“After COVID-19, I don’t care if my child goes to school or not. Life is too short!” one parent explained in a recent survey.

After taking office as Education Secretary in July 2024, Bridget Phillipson confirmed plans to increase fines from £60 to £80 per parent this year.

“Tackling widespread school absence is everyone’s responsibility – governments, schools, parents and children – we need a concerted national effort to get children back in the classroom,” she stressed.

Minister Phillipson said fines were important in changing the pattern of unauthorised absences and that everyone had a responsibility to ensure their children were in school.

“When children are unnecessarily absent from school, all children suffer, as teachers are left to focus on helping them catch up,” she said, adding that strict penalties “ensure every child is in school and achieving the higher standards they need to thrive.”

Some local authorities have taken a tougher stance on fines, with Barnsley in South Yorkshire fining more than 6,000 parents of 31,000 pupils aged between five and 16.

Fines for parents increased sharply in 2013, after principals were stripped of the power to grant term-time absences except for exceptions such as custodial duties. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, excused and unexcused absences have remained high, with children’s mental health and anxiety being the biggest causes.