Fewer parents fined for taking children out of school due to ‘temporary pause’ in issuing penalty notices across West Northamptonshire

According to data from the Department for Education (DfT), in the school year of 2023-2024 1,497 fines were for unauthorised holidays across West Northamptonshire. This compares to 2,698 unauthorised holidays in the 2022-2023 academic year.

The figures show a huge 44.5 percent decrease in West Northamptonshire, despite fines issued nationally in 2023-2024 being the highest since records began and 20 percent higher than the previous academic year.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) - the authority responsible for fines in the area - says this is down to a “temporary pause” in issuing penalty notices, which took place between November 2023 and April 2024. The pause was implemented for a number of reasons including “low staffing resources”.

A WNC spokesman said: “The decreased number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) from West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is due to a temporary pause in the issuing of FPNs.

“This is partly due to low staffing resources and a recruitment exercise in the School Attendance Support Service, and partly due to a review of the wider enforcement process, which has included schools updating their policies around attendance to ensure expectations are clear.

“During this time staff received training to ensure families with specific issues around school attendance are appropriately supported, ideally to avoid enforcement action being required at all; but to ensure that due process is undertaken where enforcement becomes necessary, which could include the use of a FPN as a sanction in suitable cases.”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson added: "We need a national effort to tackle the epidemic of school absence so we can give children the best start in life – with Government, schools and parents all playing their part.

"This Government will do everything in its power to tackle the problem but behaviour like term-time holidays cannot be changed with support alone – which is why fines have a vital place in our system, so everyone is held accountable for ensuring our children are in school."

Of the resolved penalty notices in West Northamptonshire, 1,155 were paid and 174 were withdrawn prior to prosecution. Meanwhile, 10 led to prosecution for not being paid.