Thousands of fines have been issued to parents in Wales for not sending their children to school. The figures come as a Welsh Government taskforce to help tackle soaring absence rates met for the first time.
Latest data shows one in 10 school sessions are still being missed with pupil absence a stubborn problem since the pandemic began nearly four years ago. With the new term starting next week those most likely not to be in classes are pupils in key exam years and less advantaged children.
Fixed Penalty Notice fines for non-attendance are £60 rising to £120 if that’s not paid within 28 days. Parents can be prosecuted if they do not pay those fines or if there is a recurring pattern of their children being absent from lessons.
FPN’s were reinstated by Welsh Government at the start of the academic year 22-23 and schools have been able to request these since December 2022. Freedom of Information responses from councils, published by BBC Wales, show that more than 2,000 fines were issued to parents in Wales last year because their children were missing school.
The data showed hundreds of fixed penalty notices were issued by councils in the 2022-23 academic year. Bridgend, Monmouthshire and Carmarthenshire have not issued any FPNs for non-attendance since 2020 while Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf made most use of FPNs in 2022-23.
There were around 700 prosecutions related to school absences in Wales in 2022-23 with some of these resulting in further fines plus court costs for parents, the BBC reported. Merthyr council said it issued 285 fines for holidays during term time and 196 for other unauthorised absences. Rhondda Cynon Taf issued 364 fines, with 157 withdrawn prior to payment, while Cardiff issued 235 FPNs in 2022-23.
