2,000 fines handed to holidaying parents in Shropshire
More than 2,000 fines have been handed to parents in Shropshire over the past three years for taking their children out of school for unauthorised holidays.
The figures suggest more families are choosing to take a hit in the pocket rather than pay for more expensive breaks during school holidays.
A further 175 fines have also been issued to parents across the county for issues such as poor attendance or truancy, according to the figures.
The high number of cases – particularly in Telford & Wrekin, where cases were up by 600 during the last academic year compared to 2012/13 – has been attributed to changes in legislation.
Under laws that came into force in September 2013, headteachers cannot authorise absences from lessons for term-time holidays and can only permit leave in 'exceptional circumstances'.
In the Shropshire Council area, in 2012/13 149 parents received fines for unauthorised holidays, while 59 fines were handed out for truancy or poor attendance.
The following year the number of fines issued for unauthorised holidays rose to 311 but fell to 48 for truancy and poor behaviour. In 2014/15 258 fines were handed out for holidays and 24 for other absences.
In Telford & Wrekin, 139 parents received fines for unauthorised holidays in 2012/13, while 20 fines were handed out for truancy or poor attendance. But following the change in legislation there were 639 fines for holidays in 2013/14 and 12 for other absences.
Last year 729 fines were issued for holidays and 12 for truancy and poor attendance.
The fines are £60 per parent, per child.
Councillor Ann Hartley, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for children's services, said: "The changes to legislation that came into force in September 2013 mean that headteachers are no longer able to authorise absence from school for the purpose of a holiday.
"However, taking holidays in term time has never been an automatic right and Shropshire Council has always intervened in cases where parents choose to remove their child from school without authority. Where penalty fines have not been paid, parents have been taken to court in respect of the absence."
Russell Griffin, for Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "Headteachers want every child to be as successful as possible and missing lessons can damage a pupils education, and that of other pupils too as teachers have to spend time repeating lessons to allow those that have been on leave in term time to catch up.
"Missed education can damage a pupil's chances of gaining good qualifications."
