PARENTS in Wokingham were slapped with fines totalling more than £20,000 for unauthorised absences from school last year.
For the school year 2015/16, 347 Education Penalty Notices were issued to parents of children attending schools in Wokingham, worth £20,820 if the minimum £60 fine is paid. Of the 347 fines issued, 17 were withdrawn but individual reasons were not given.
The data has been obtained through a Freedom of Information request by law firm Simpson Miller, and reveals significant regional differences, with the highest number of fines handed out by Suffolk, Lancashire, Bradford, Manchester, Hampshire and Essex each issuing more than 4,000 in the past year. At the other end of the table,Oxfordshire County Council issued just 69 fines.
According to Simpson Millar’s figures, the bottom 27 councils combined issued the same number of fines (5691) as Suffolk County Council issued on its own in the last school year (5668).
Solicitor Julie Robertson from Simpson Millar specialises in helping families challenge unreasonable fines. She says: “These figures are quite frankly staggering. Even though some cities clearly have more school children on their books than others, it seems that certain areas are particularly prolific when it comes to handing out fines for unauthorised absence.
“What one head teacher agrees are special circumstances, another doesn’t. It is a postcode lottery. We need more consistency and, in some areas, more common sense.
“Clearly, some schools are using their discretion appropriately where the parents are sensible in their choices and decisions. Others seem to be rather abundant in slapping parents with a fine regardless of the circumstances. You have to wonder why, for example, almost twice as many fines were issued in the North West compared with London.”
Locally, Bracknell Forest Council issued 524 fines, worth £31,440, and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead issued 197 (£11,280).
Wokingham Borough Council’s executive member for children’s services, Cllr Charlotte Haitham Taylor said: “The evidence shows that discretion is appropriately exercised in Wokingham Borough. Our parents and pupils value their schools, and attendance overall is good. We want to make sure that remains the case, and we engage with the legal options available to us when it is appropriate. Penalty notices are issued according to the merits of a particular situation, in line with the law.
“Our policy is to be transparent and support parents as necessary, but if we are satisfied that there is a case for legal action, we will take it.”
School’s are always the first point of contact with parents, and provide support and advice where needed. If you are concerned about your child’s absence, or need to take your child out of school for whatever reason, always approach the school first.
For more information visit the Wokingham Schools Hub website at http://wsh.wokingham.gov.uk/learning-and-teaching/welfare/holidaysduringterm.
