The UK government has responded to a petition urging a prohibition on penalizing parents for withdrawing their children from school.
The petition, named ‘Legislate to ban FPNs and prosecutions related to school attendance,’ garnered substantial support after its launch on the Parliament website in late March. Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) in the UK are typically issued for minor infractions like traffic violations and environmental offenses such as littering or dog fouling.
According to the petition, penalties imposed on parents for removing their children from school hit a peak in the most recent academic year (2024-25). The petitioner, Natalie Elliott, asserts that FPNs are ineffective and unfairly penalize families, branding them as a disguised tax.
The petition argues that attendance laws are being misused, pointing out instances where schools categorize absences that should be authorized as unauthorized. Ms. Elliott claims that absences due to illness, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and family emergencies are being wrongly marked, leading to a disconnect between schools and families.
Within a month of its launch, the petition amassed over 35,000 signatures, surpassing the 100,000 threshold required for discussion in the House of Commons. Natalie advocates for a legislative change to outlaw FPNs and prosecutions, advocating for a shift towards collaboration rather than punishment.
In response to the petition, a Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson stated that the Government has no plans to ban fixed penalty notices or prosecutions for non-attendance. They emphasized that these measures influence parental behavior when other forms of support have been exhausted or deemed inadequate.
The spokesperson highlighted that the majority (93%) of penalty notices issued in 2024-25 were for “unauthorized term-time holidays,” indicating that FPNs are primarily utilized in situations where alternative support measures are deemed unsuitable.
The Government reiterated the legal obligation under the Education Act 1996 for parents to ensure their school-age children receive full-time education. They acknowledged exceptions for legitimate reasons like illness, religious observance, or when the local authority fails to provide necessary assistance.
The statement emphasized the importance of collaboration between schools, authorities, and parents to address attendance issues, with legal interventions considered only as a last resort. The decision to use such measures is left to individual schools and authorities based on the specific circumstances of each family.