Mother and father in Manchester had been fined £1.4m for taking youngsters out of faculty within the final three years, a Freedom of Info request has discovered.
Greater than 20,000 fines got to folks in 2022, 2023, and 2024 for unauthorised absences from Manchester colleges, the request submitted by the Native Democracy Reporting Service revealed.
The variety of fines rose from 5,179 in 2022 to eight,138 in 2024 — which means the quantity collected by Manchester council surpassed the £1.4m mark. In whole, fines issued had been value £1,421,933.
Manchester Metropolis Council stated it was necessary for pupils to be in class.
“We will nice the dad or mum or carer of any pupil who’s between the age of 5 and 16 and goes to any major or secondary faculty, academy or pupil referral unit within the space lined by Manchester council,” a discover on the authority’s web site says.
“Good attendance at college helps your youngster attain their full potential. For those who’ve any issues, contact the college – they’ll supply help and steerage.”
Julie Reid, government councillor for youngsters, added in a press release: “All of the proof factors to a transparent connection between faculty attendance and achievement – the extra time pupils spend in class, the upper their possibilities of success.
“Earlier than asking the council to situation fines on their behalf, colleges work very exhausting with pupils and fogeys to try to guarantee pupils are in class day-after-day they need to be, together with working with households to assist resolve any obstacles which may be getting in the best way of this.”
The penalties are set nationally by the federal government, and the primary nice is value £80, however it could actually rise to £160 if mother and father don’t pay inside three weeks. A second nice is value £160 instantly.
New guidelines for the present tutorial yr imply mother and father can solely be fined twice in a three-year window for one youngster, however a 3rd unauthorised absence may imply mother and father are taken to courtroom to be fined as much as £2,500.
Extra extreme strategies embrace mother and father being given a neighborhood order, and presumably a jail sentence of as much as three months.
