Fines for school absences dropped significantly across England during the coronavirus pandemic, new figures reveal.

Local councils and schools can issue fines, or penalty notices, if a child misses school without good reason.

The National Association of Headteachers described it as unsurprising that the level of fines had fallen, as the crisis "fundamentally changed" the education landscape.

Penalty notices for absences are £60 if paid within 21 days of being issued, but rise to £120 if paid between 22 and 28 days.

If the penalty is still outstanding, the council must either prosecute for the original offence or withdraw the notice Across every south London borough, the number of fines issued fell in the year 2020-21 – with Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich having record lows.

Nearby in Kent, however, there were more fines issued to parents after their children missed school last year than almost anywhere else in England.

Here are the figures for each borough:

Bexley

A record low number of fines were issued to Bexley parents after their children missed school last year, figures reveal.

Department for Education data shows that 33 penalty notices were issued to Bexley parents for a child’s poor attendance in 2020-21 – though measures did not apply for two months when schools were not open to all pupils.

Though no figures were available for 2019-20 because of the pandemic, the number of fines last year was down 92 per cent from 397 in 2018-19, and at the lowest level since comparable records began in 2009-10.

Of the fines last year, all were for unauthorised family holidays.

There were almost 5,000 prosecutions for non-payment nationally last year – four in Bexley.

Bromley

A record low number of fines were issued to Bromley parents after their children missed school last year, figures reveal.

Department for Education data shows that 32 penalty notices were issued to Bromley parents for a child’s poor attendance in 2020-21 – though measures did not apply for two months when schools were not open to all pupils.

Though no figures were available for 2019-20 because of the pandemic, the number of fines last year was down 97 per cent from 1,062 in 2018-19, and at the lowest level since comparable records began in 2009-10.

Of the fines last year, 14 (44 per cent) were for unauthorised family holidays.

There were almost 5,000 prosecutions for non-payment nationally last year – but none were against parents in Bromley.

Greenwich

A record low number of fines were issued to Greenwich parents after their children missed school last year, figures reveal.

Department for Education data shows that 52 penalty notices were issued to Greenwich parents for a child’s poor attendance in 2020-21 – though measures did not apply for two months when schools were not open to all pupils.

Though no figures were available for 2019-20 because of the pandemic, the number of fines last year was down 82 per cent from 286 in 2018-19, and at the lowest level since comparable records began in 2009-10.

There were almost 5,000 prosecutions for non-payment nationally last year – 18 in Greenwich.

Lewisham

Significantly fewer fines were issued to Lewisham parents after their children missed school last year, figures reveal.

Department for Education data shows that 56 penalty notices were issued to Lewisham parents for a child’s poor attendance in 2020-21 – though measures did not apply for two months when schools were not open to all pupils.

Though no figures were available for 2019-20 because of the pandemic, the number of fines last year was down 87 per cent from 424 in 2018-19.

Of the fines last year, 48 (86 per cent) were for unauthorised family holidays.

There were almost 5,000 prosecutions for non-payment nationally last year – but none were against parents in Lewisham.

Kent

More fines were issued to Kent parents after their children missed school last year than almost anywhere else in England, figures reveal.

Department for Education data shows that 1,266 penalty notices were issued to Kent parents for a child’s poor attendance in 2020-21 – though measures did not apply for two months when schools were not open to all pupils.

Though no figures were available for 2019-20 because of the pandemic, the number of fines last year was down 86% from 8,923 in 2018-19 – and at their lowest level on since comparable records began in 2009-10.

The area issued more fines than almost any other local authority in the country – accounting for 3% of all penalty notices handed out across England.

Of the fines last year, 1,025 (81%) were for unauthorised family holidays, while three were for being late.

There were almost 5,000 prosecutions for non-payment nationally last year – 152 in Kent.

What’s the situation like elsewhere?

Across England, the number of notices issued fell from 333,400 to just 45,800 over this period – a fall of 86 per cent and the lowest number since 2011-12.

Their use varied greatly in different parts of the country, with 15 local authorities issuing 10 or fewer.

Meanwhile, just a dozen areas were responsible for over a third of all fines nationally last year.

James Bowen, director of policy for school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Fines have always been a blunt instrument when it comes to managing persistent absenteeism, and even more so if the reasons are related to the pandemic.

"Schools will be working closely with families where persistent absenteeism is an issue to provide the necessary support to help get pupils back into school.

"The reality is that if a parent is concerned enough about their child’s safety to keep them off school, the threat of a fine is unlikely to change their minds.”

Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “It’s important that all children are in school during term time, particularly as most will have missed out on extended periods of face-to-face education over the last two years, and many continue to face ongoing disruption as a result of Covid.

“Headteachers have discretion over whether to classify an absence as authorised or unauthorised, and local authorities over whether to issue penalty notices.

"All involved will be mindful of the difficult circumstances of the last two years when making those decisions.”

A DfE spokeswoman said fines are available to local authorities when there is no lawful reason for a child's absence, but other support to boost attendance can also be offered where appropriate.

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