Infographic: Thousands face fines or jail over children’s truancy

THE NUMBER of parents being taken to court over their child skipping school is rising, with thousands facing action last year.
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New national figures show that growing numbers are being convicted of truancy offences, facing fines, and in some cases even being sent to jail.

In total, 16,430 people in England were prosecuted for failing to ensure that a child went to school in 2014 - equivalent to around 86 cases for each day of the school year. This is up a quarter on 2013 when 13,128 people were taken to court.

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The hikes come in the wake of a major crackdown on children missing school, including strict new rules on term-time holidays introduced two years ago.

Graphic charts statistics for parents taken to court over child truancy.Graphic charts statistics for parents taken to court over child truancy.
Graphic charts statistics for parents taken to court over child truancy.

Government guidelines changed in 2013 meaning head teachers could only allow parents to take their children out of school in term time in exceptional circumstances. Previously schools could allow parents up to ten days in term time.

The Yorkshire Post revealed earlier this week that the number of parents in the region given fines of £60 for taking their children on holiday in term time has increased more than four fold in two years from around 4,500 in 2012/13 to more than 20,000 in the last academic year. This means Yorkshire parents have paid fines in excess of £1m in 2014/2015.

The new national figures for parents being taken to court show smaller increases than those being fined. This suggests the majority of parents being given fines are paying them and not being prosecuted. Failure to pay the £60 within 28 days can lead to court action.

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Ministry of Justice statistics gathered by the Press Association show that of those taken to court last year, around three-quarters (76 per cent) - 12,479 - were found guilty, a 22 per cent jump on the year before.

The number of fines handed out by the courts rose by 30 per cent between 2013 and 2014. Last year 9,214 parents were issued with fines, 74 per cent of those who were found guilty. On average, they were ordered to pay £172. The figures also show that the number of people handed jail time more than doubled, with 18 given custodial sentences in 2014, up from seven the year before.

Of those jailed last year, for where figures are available, four were men and 10 were women.

A breakdown of the statistics, which refer to two truancy-related offences under the Education Act 1996, reveal that women are more likely to be found guilty than men, making up three-fifths of those convicted.

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Rachel Burrows from Netmums said: “In many cases, the family may be in crisis or face issues such as a parent with mental health problems or addictions. In these cases, fines or jail won’t help as the mum or dad needs professional support to turn their lives around and be a better parent. But in other cases, a fine or the threat of jail may be enough to make parents understand how serious the situation is. Education is vital to a child’s success and attendance isn’t optional.”

Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders said: “Good attendance is absolutely critical to the education and future prospects of young people. Research has repeatedly and clearly shown that young people whose attendance is good are far more likely to achieve five or more good GCSEs.

Schools have rightly responded to this overwhelming evidence by taking a strong line in identifying when children are absent without a valid reason, particularly where there is persistent truancy.”