• School absence fines rise again as landmark court ruling continues to have an impact

    The number of fines issued for poor school attendance have continued to increase sharply following a landmark Supreme Court ruling on the matter, new figures have revealed. In 2018-19, the number of these notices issued to parents has increased by 28 per cent to 333,400, up from 260,900 in 2017-18. In the previous year’s data,…

    11.44 Mar. 26th, 2020 | News

  • Unauthorised absence rate remains at highest since records began

    Unauthorised pupil absence rates have remained at the highest since records began over a decade ago, new figures show. While the overall absence rate has slightly decreased, driven by a drop in authorised absences, the rate of unauthorised remained at 1.4 per cent in 2018-19, the same as the year before. This is the highest…

    10.46 Mar. 26th, 2020 | News

  • Slight fall in school absence fines in wake of Platt court case

    Parents fined for their children’s unauthorised absence fell a little last year, but the figures did not change as much as expected given the law has become more lenient. New figures, taken by Schools Week from 112 councils, showed that last year the authorities issued 103,918 fines to parents, totalling £4.4 million, compared with 108,405…

    5.00 Feb. 10th, 2018 | News

  • Campaigner wants school absence contact procedures changed

    Schools should be forced to contact multiple family members in the event of unexpected pupil absences, according to a mother whose young children spent almost 24 hours alone at home with their father’s body after he died. Helen Daykin (pictured) was travelling for work when her husband Chris died of heart failure in October 2016.…

    15.00 Feb. 9th, 2018 | News