According to the latest figures, Somerset County Council issued a record number of penalty notices last year to parents who took their children out of school for holidays.

Penalty notices are imposed when a child frequently misses school and are priced at £60 if paid within 21 days, increasing to £120 after that.

Failure to pay within four weeks necessitates either prosecution or withdrawal of the notice by the local authority.

The Department for Education revealed that in the 2022-23 academic year, 1,799 penalties were issued by Somerset County Council for child absenteeism. 1,702 of these penalties, which accounts for 95% of the total, were specifically for holidays taken during school time.

This number has dramatically increased from 861 the previous year and is the highest recorded since the 2016-17 academic year. Prior to the pandemic in 2018-19, the number of fines issued for unauthorised holidays stood at 1,409.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, expressed concerns about the effectiveness of these fines. "Fines have always been too blunt an instrument when it comes to tackling persistent absenteeism," he said. Whiteman emphasized the need for a deeper understanding of the reasons behind continued absences, including addressing the needs of vulnerable families and supporting children and young people's mental health. "Unless more is done... fining families is unlikely to solve the issue," he added.

The issue of unauthorised school absences is not confined to Somerset. Across England, nearly 399,000 fines were issued in the 2022-23 academic year, marking a 20% increase from pre-pandemic figures. Of these, around 356,000 (89%) were for unauthorised holidays, as families increasingly sought cheaper vacation options outside of school term times. This is a significant rise from the 116,000 fines issued for the same reason in 2016-17.

A Department for Education spokesperson reiterated the importance of regular school attendance for a child's education, wellbeing, and future prospects. "Parents have a duty to make sure their child regularly attends school, and holidays should be around school breaks to avoid taking children out of school during term time," they stated. While the department's guidance promotes a support-first approach, it also backs the use of punitive measures such as fines where appropriate.