{"id":200246,"date":"2024-03-01T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=200246"},"modified":"2024-02-29T22:17:40","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T22:17:40","slug":"absence-fines-rake-in-19m-as-schools-and-councils-get-strict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/absence-fines-rake-in-19m-as-schools-and-councils-get-strict\/","title":{"rendered":"Absence fines rake in \u00a319m as schools and councils get strict"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Councils raised more than \u00a319 million in fines for absence last year as enforcement ramped back up in the wake of Covid and town halls adopted stricter policies to pre-empt government rule changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Penalties for unauthorised absence were stopped during periods of partial school closure but they reached record numbers last year as low attendance rates continue to blight education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Damian
Damian Hinds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Analysis of freedom of information data suggests town halls took in \u00a319 million in 2022-23, almost double the \u00a39.7 million taken the previous year, and up 17.5 per cent on pre-pandemic 2018-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one area, income was 55 times what it was before Covid, while another saw a six-fold increase. Of the 15 areas with the largest increases, 11 have above-average free school meals eligibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week the government announced plans to raise fines by a third and standardise the system for allocating them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing in Schools Week<\/em><\/a>, minister Damian Hinds warned of a \u201cpostcode lottery, which sees parents in some areas getting fined for [unauthorised absence], while others are not\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changes to fines coming this September<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Heads decide whether to fine parents, but the penalty notices are administered by local authorities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The 10 new attendance rules schools need to know about<\/a><\/blockquote>