Number of fines for term-time holidays continue to rise

Since August 2024, families in England have faced higher fines for doing so. We explain the National Framework for Penalty Notices (' the framework'), introduced in August 2024 to discourage unauthorised absence, and review the latest figures to see whether it is working as intended. 

Fines under the National Framework for Penalty Notices

The government introduced the framework on 14 August 2024 to create a consistent approach across England. It aims to ensure that schools deal with unauthorised absences in the same way. 

Under the framework: 

• Parents receive a fine of £80 for unauthorised absence

• The fine increases to £160 if they do not pay within 21 days

• If a second fine for the same child is issued within a three-year period, the fine starts at £160. 

Under the guidance accompanying the framework, local authorities and schools must consider issuing a fine where a child misses ten or more sessions (i.e. five days) that have not been authorised by the school.

These fines are per parent and per child. For example, if three siblings have unauthorised absences at the same time, then each parent will receive three separate fines. 

Local authorities decide whether to issue a fine, so approaches can vary across the country. 

Parents can receive up to two fines for the same child within a three-year period. If unauthorised absence continues after that, local authorities may take further action. This can include a parenting order or prosecution, with a fine up to £2,500. 

The guidance under the framework notes that fines should be a ‘last resort’. Schools should offer support first to help improve a child's attendance. 

Overall, the framework aims to change parental behaviour and discourage term-time holidays and other unauthorised absences. 

What do the latest figures show? 

The latest data covers the 2024/25 academic year, the first year after the framework came into force. It shows that local authorities issued 492,825 penalty notices for unauthorised absence, up from 487,344 in 2023/24. This increase continues the upward trend which started before the pandemic. 

Unauthorised family holidays remain the main driver with 459,288 of the penalty notices (93%) relating to family holidays, up from 443,322 in 2023/24. 

There are also regional variations. Yorkshire and the Humber recorded the highest rate of penalty notices. London recorded the lowest rate. 

This shows that the number of fines for unauthorised absence has continued to rise in the first year after the framework was introduced and that most fines still relate to term-time holidays. This suggests that the framework has not yet led to a reduction in the number of parents taking children out of school without permission. 

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