Parents planning to take children out of school early for summer holidays are being warned they could face fines of up to £160 per child under current attendance rules in England. With many families already looking ahead to soaring summer travel costs, experts say some parents may not realise how much school holiday penalties have increased in recent years.
The rules were changed for the last school year meaning each parent can now be fined £160 per child. So two parents taking two children out of school for a holiday could face a family fine of £640 - £160 per parent, per child.
Under current guidance, parents can be fined £80 per child for unauthorised absences if paid within 21 days. That rises to £160 if unpaid after 28 days. Latest Department for Education figures show more than 459,000 fines were issued for unauthorised term-time holidays during the 2024/25 academic year, making up the vast majority of attendance penalties handed out by councils.
Lindsey Wright, physics and maths tutor at TutorsValley, says many families are feeling squeezed by the huge difference between peak and off-peak travel prices. She explained: “A lot of parents understand the attendance rules, but they’re also seeing holiday prices jump massively during official school breaks.”
The warning comes as online discussions around school holiday fines continue to divide opinion among parents trying to balance family budgets with attendance policies. But Lindsey says many people are still unaware of how quickly the penalties can increase. “A lot of parents still think school fines are relatively small because they remember the old system. But once the higher charges kick in, it can become a very expensive situation surprisingly quickly.”
According to government guidance, councils across England can issue penalty notices for unauthorised absences, including term-time holidays that haven’t been approved by schools. The rules and fines for taking children out of school for unauthorised term-time holidays in England changed on 19 August 2024, ahead of the 2024/2025 school year. This update introduced a new National Framework for Penalty Notices to standardise how councils handle absences across the country. The cost of the fines increased for the first time since 2012 to account for inflation.
