New data from the Department for Education reveals a sharp increase in fines issued to parents after their children missed school without permission during the 2024–25 academic year.

According to the figures, 459,000 penalty notices were handed out for unauthorised absences — up around 4 % on the previous year — and marking the first full year of reporting under the new national framework for attendance enforcement.

This rise comes amid strengthened rules introduced in August 2024, which standardised the criteria for issuing fines across England and increased penalty amounts. Under the updated system, parents are now typically fined £80 if they pay within 21 days and £160 if they pay later, per child, per parent.

Most of these fines are linked to term-time holidays, with research showing that around 93 % of all penalties were connected to family trips taken during school terms — even though the attendance threshold that triggers consideration of a penalty remains the same.

However,  recent polling suggests many parents say fines wouldn’t change parents’ decisions around taking children out of school.

Taking children out of schools can be a tricky balance for internationally relocating families.  Most families want to play by the rules but often have pulls from their home countries based on family following different academic calendars.