According to Education Hub blog “Every moment in school counts and days missed add up quickly.”[1]
The blog then goes on to summarise how families can be fined if children have unauthorised absences from school, with a fine of either £80 or £160 for 5 days of unauthorised absence. There are also warnings regarding possible prosecutions for persistence absences.
In principle, this might all sound very reasonable. But it has provoked considerable push back, most recently with a school refusing to authorise absences due to period pain unless “related medical information” was also provided.[2] Parents pointed out the incredibly long length of time (often years) it can take to receive a diagnosis and treatment for conditions such as endometriosis.
Parents of children with complex learning needs or mental health issues have also raised similar concerns, with students being penalised for absences during the incredible long waiting times for diagnosis and the lack of provision for students with complex needs in many mainstream schools.[3]
Not to mention the numerous cases of people (including previously healthy children) who are now suffering long term and sometimes life changing effects from a Covid infection. Surely when tens of thousands of children are now living with the aftereffects of what was once dismissed as a mild illness, people are justified in taking a day off an illness that presents as a cold?[4]
To summarise my thoughts on these fines…
Yes, every moment in school could be made to count. But that requires proper investment in school building and adequate pay and conditions for teachers.
Every moment could be made to count if the NHS was properly funded so people could receive timely diagnosis and treatment for health problems (it is impossible to study properly if you are ill).
Every moment could be made to count if adequate provision for students with special education needs was made.
Every moment could be made to count if students had enough to eat and homes that were safe and warm – no matter how good the quality of a lesson might be I don’t believe anyone can learn properly if they are also having to endure horrific levels of food and fuel poverty.
And… how effective are these fines as a deterrent? If they are being used to try to curb families taking holidays in term-time then the fines are often much less than a family would save by going on holiday during a cheaper time of the year.
Finally, local authorities might ultimately threaten prosecution for persistent absences but how much will it cost to take parents to court or even imprison them (and aren’t our courts and prisons on the verge of collapse due to underfunding)?
[1] https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/08/19/fines-for-parents-for-taking-children-out-of-school-what-you-need-to-know/
[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly4zd8xp74o
[3] https://news.sky.com/story/parents-of-children-with-complex-needs-worried-they-could-be-unfairly-fined-under-new-school-absence-rules-13213524
[4] https://www.longcovidkids.org/post/ghost-children-completing-the-jigsaw-with-covid19-infections-and-long-covid-in-children