Schools in Bromley are clamping down on parents whose children miss school without a valid reason, according to figures from the Department for Education.

More than 600 fines were issued to parents for children’s unauthorised absence from school in 2016/17- a 70 per cent increase from the previous year.

This is despite the fact that the number of children regularly absent from Bromley schools decreased by 5 per cent.

More than half (375) of the fines were paid, raising £22,680.

Local authorities impose their own rules on when parents can be given penalty notices over their children's absence from school. Fines are £60 if paid within 21 days, and £120 within 28 days.

Lewisham schools increased the number of fines sent out by 2 per cent, in line with the increase in absenteeism in the borough.

The figures showed that parents received 310 penalty notices, 123 of which were paid, raising £7,620.

Both Greenwich and Bexley schools have backed off on handing out fines, despite the number of unauthorised absences increasing in both boroughs.

In Greenwich, 186 penalty notices were handed out to parents, a 28 per cent decrease from the previous year. However, the number of persistently absent children increased by 13 per cent.

In total, schools raised £4,440 through 68 fines paid by parents.

In Bexley, 88 penalty notices were handed out to parents, a 58 decrease.

The number of regularly absent children increased by 8 per cent.

In total, Bexley schools raised £3,000 through 50 paid fines, with all of the fines issued for children being taken on unauthorised holidays during term time.

In a high-profile case in April 2017, Isle of Wight father Jon Platt lost an appeal in the Supreme Court against his £120 fine for taking his daughter on an unauthorised trip to Disney World Florida during term time.

The Department for Education suggested that the drop in fines nationally could have been caused by local authorities waiting to see the outcome of the case.

Darren Northcott, the national official for education at the teachers' union NASUWT, said that the robust defence provided by the Department for Education for schools’ right to fine parents in the case showed that the structure was in place to encourage parents to get their children into school.

He said: “We have always been clear: absences during term time should only occur in very exceptional circumstances, such as illness and family emergencies.

“Every day in school counts, and every lesson counts. Fines are an absolute last resort, and only given if families have had the support they need to try and improve their absence rates.”

Mr Northcott added that he could sympathise with parents taking children out of school for term-time holidays, and that the increase of package holiday prices during school holidays should be investigated.