The UK government has rejected calls to ban fines for parents taking children out of school, responding to a petition signed by over 35,000 people. The petition, created by Natalie Elliott on the Parliament website in late March, calls for legislation to ban Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) and prosecutions related to school attendance.
In its response, the Department for Education (DfE) stated it has no plans to ban FPNs or prosecutions, arguing they influence parental behaviour where support has been exhausted or is inappropriate. The DfE noted that 93% of penalty notices issued in 2024-25 were for unauthorised term-time holidays, indicating FPNs are used primarily when support is not suitable.
The petition claims fines for taking children out of school reached a record high in the last academic year. Elliott argues that the attendance legislation is being abused, with schools marking absences as unauthorised when they should be authorised, including for illness, special educational needs, and family emergencies. She says FPNs have become a “stealth tax” and are “ineffective and punish families.”
The DfE emphasised that parents have a legal duty under the Education Act 1996 to ensure their child receives full-time education. It said the current system expects schools and local authorities to provide support first, and only consider legal interventions when support fails or is inappropriate. The petition needs 100,000 signatures to be considered for debate in the House of Commons.
