More children across Cumbria are skipping classes as figures show that more fines have been dished out to parents who have failed to ensure their youngsters are attending school on a regular basis.

In the current academic year, 108 fixed penalty notices have been issued to parents as opposed to just 80 in the previous school year.

The notices, which consist of fines of up to £120, are given when a child has an accumulation of unauthorised absences which have not been granted by the school’s headteacher.

These absences vary from school to school but generally include holidays during term times as well as days off for birthdays and weddings.

Clare Feeney-Johnson, who is the cabinet member for schools and learning at Cumbria County Council, wants more parents to be aware of the harm that can be caused to children who don’t regularly attend school.

She said: “We all want the best for our children and research shows that good attendance at school has an impact on their overall educational outcome.


Clare Feeney-Johnson “Any child of school age should be attending school regularly. It’s so important to get into a habit and routine and parents need to recognise this.”

Across the country, more than 74,000 parents were hit with £4.5 million worth of fines for taking their kids on holiday during term time in the last school year.

However, Coun Feeney-Johnson is adamant that a continuous lack of attendance is more prevalent in Cumbria and that schools should adopt a more logical approach when dealing with holidays during term time.

She said: “Every school should take a pragmatic approach to holidays and a child’s regular attendance should be taken into account.

“If a child has attended more than 90 per cent of classes all year, the school should make a pragmatic decision based on that.”

The Department for Education defines persistent absenteeism as below 90 per cent attendance and schools can use this figure to determine whether or not to pursue legal action.

Guidance from Cumbria County Council states that only the headteacher of a school can authorise absences and that all schools must refuse requests for holidays within term time unless the circumstances are exceptional.

Wendy Jacobs, who is the headteacher of Roose Primary School, is critical of allowing parents to book holidays during term time.

She said: “If children miss chunks of school during their primary years it can carry on into secondary school.

“We never allow families to take holidays just because it’s cheaper to go outside of the summer vacation period.”