Revealed: £136,000 cost of skipping school in Shropshire
Parents have been fined tens of thousands of pounds because of their children missing lessons at schools across Shropshire in the past three years, it was revealed today.
The latest figures show more families choose to take a hit in the pocket rather than pay for more expensive breaks during school holidays.
A total of £136,020 was collected by neighbouring authorities Telford &Wrekin Council and Shropshire Council since 2013/14 academic year to December 15 last year. Council bosses today vowed to take "robust" action against the minority of parents who allowed unauthorised absences.
The figures, obtained by the Shropshire Star through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows the extent of the problem of term-time holidays in the county.
More than two thirds of the cash, £94,500, was collected from fines imposed by Telford & Wrekin Council, with 1,774 penalty notices issued.
Shropshire Council issued 822 fixed penalty notices to parents, collecting £41,520 for taking holidays in term time or for poor attendance and truancy.
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'. Each fine costs £60 per parent if paid within 21 days, rising to £120 if paid between 22 and 28 days.
There have been six fines of £120 in the Shropshire Council area in the past three years. Most of the fines issued by the authority, 739, were issued due to holidays in term time.
If the penalty notice remains unpaid, the council may take legal action against the parent.
Russell Griffin, spokesman for Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "Headteachers want every child to be as successful as possible and missing lessons can damage a pupil's 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."
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.
In 2014/15, 777 fines were issued for holidays and truancy and poor attendance, in 2015/16 to date there have been 346 penalty notices issued.
Costs collected in 2013/14 were £35,400, the year after rose to £43,140 and this year so far stands at £15,960.
Parents who fail to cough up the cash can be hauled before the courts, this can attract a range of fines up to £2,500 and/or a range of disposals such as parenting orders, community sentences or imprisonment up to three months.
