𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Parents across the UK are backing a growing petition calling for changes to rules that see families fined for taking children out of school during term time. The campaign has been launched amid mounting frustration over strict attendance policies, which critics say are placing unnecessary pressure on families.

Supporters argue the current system is too rigid, with penalties failing to reflect the realities faced by parents trying to balance work, costs and family life. Under existing rules, parents can face fines if children are taken out of school without permission, even for short absences such as holidays. The petition is now gathering momentum as campaigners call on ministers to rethink the approach and give families greater flexibility.

Natalie Elliott, who wrote the petition, believes this is evidence FPNs are that they are “ineffective and punish families”. She says they have become a stealth tax.

The petition reads: “We feel that the attendance legislation is being abused. It was introduced to tackle persistent absenteeism when parents refused to engage with support.

“We are seeing schools marking absences which should already be marked as authorised as unauthorised,” Ms Elliott added.

“This includes absences for illness, SEND and family emergencies. The attendance drive is driving a wedge between school and home.”

In the month since the petition was launched, it has gathered over 35,000 signatures.

A total of 100,000 signatures are required for the matter to be considered for debate in the House of Commons.

Last week, a spokesperson for the Department for Education (DfE) responded to the petition, declaring the Government has no plans to ban fixed penalty notices or prosecutions for non-attendance.

They wrote: “Both influence parental behaviour, where support has been exhausted, not engaged with or is inappropriate.”

The spokesperson contended that 93% of penalty notices issued in 2024-25 were for “unauthorised term-time holidays”, demonstrating that FPNs are being utilised predominantly in situations where support is not suitable.

The statement continued: “Parents have a legal duty under the Education Act 1996 to ensure that their child of compulsory school age (5-16) receives a full‐time education, either by attending school or otherwise.

“Where a child is registered at a school, parents must ensure they attend regularly, and parents can be penalised if their child is absent from school without authorisation.