Why are fines for unauthorised school absences going up?

National World - LocalTV

The rise comes after just shy of four hundred thousand fines were issued to parents for unauthorised absences in the 2022/23 school year, a massive jump when compared with pre-pandemic levels

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00:00It's because of an alarming rise in absenteeism over the last year or so, which I think really

00:06is a legacy from the pandemic, I have to say. There's now a feeling that parents can, oh,

00:12we can just take our kids out on holiday. And actually there's a rise from one in 10

00:17to now one in five post-pandemic, which equates to about 28% of parents.

00:23Why has this deterrent been put in place? What are the harms of taking children out

00:27of school in term time?

00:29It's well-being, it's children in a social context, there's safety in schools, it's a

00:35chance to have pastoral care, they're with friends. So there's a lot of social and emotional

00:41benefits from that. There's also a number of academic benefits as well. Research trawling

00:46back over the last few years has really found that children in GCSE and A level have done

00:51better with reduced absenteeism. And certainly that's the case very much for end of primary

00:56school with SATs as well. And those in the last, in 2021, those who achieved better results

01:03in maths, English and science had less days absenteeism in primary school than others.

01:08Do you think that this, the upping of the fines is going to work this time and it's

01:11going to put parents off? Or I suppose there's an argument, not just for school fines, but

01:16we hear it about road fines as well, that it disproportionately targets lower income

01:21families.

01:22I do believe what's behind this is not punitive in that respect. It's more of a, you know,

01:29a support ethos first, first of all, to try and help you because behind that there is

01:34a massive support mechanism within schools and to a certain extent local authorities

01:38as well to help families, to guide children and the families through this. And it's not

01:44oh, you've missed a day, therefore we will fine you. It's not seen in that respect. Although

01:49the content, as you quite rightly say, Lauren, is there seems fixed penalty tickets and fines

01:53for everything else. And this is just another measure in that respect. But I don't think

01:56it's meant in that same ethos.

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