'My school fine for Florida holiday was unfair'

A woman has said she was unfairly handed a £160 fine after taking her grandchildren on a "once in a lifetime holiday".

Sarah, who is from south Essex, took the pair to Florida in October.

The BBC has revealed how a record 443,322 fines were issued for unauthorised holiday absences in England last year.

Failure to ensure a child's regular attendance at school is a criminal offence and the government says fines have a "vital place in our system".

Sarah, 58, who did not want to give her surname, said she was fined the minimum £80 for each child after they missed five days of school.

"[It's] extremely frustrating to be honest - I just feel like every case should be judged differently, it shouldn't be a one for all," she told BBC Essex.

"Holidays are always more expensive in school holidays."

Sarah is the legal guardian for the two children, who have special educational needs. She also took the children's half-sibling and her own 18-year-old son, who has autism, on the trip.

She said the family had a "really nice time" and that the children had suffered an "awful lot of trauma" in their lives.

Sarah said she could not afford paying an estimated £5,000 to take the family during the holiday season and that her teenage son would struggle to cope with larger crowds in peak time.

"It is just a bit sour I guess - these were exceptional circumstances in my eyes," she explained.

"It is quite scary because obviously nobody wants a criminal record for trying to give their children a bit of respite - which in my eyes, is what it was."

The minimum fine for parents or guardians failing to ensure school attendance increased from £60 to £80 in September.

Repeated failure can result in a conviction, a fine of up to £2,500, a community order and even a prison sentence of up to three months.

The number of fines issued in England in 2023-24 was 24% higher than the year before, and three times higher than in 2016-17.

A total of 17,520 fines were issued in Essex for unauthorised holiday absences 2023-24 - which includes the Southend and Thurrock boroughs.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at the National Association of Head Teachers, said fines were a "crude tool" and often do not address more "complex underlying causes of absence".

But he gave a clear stance on attendance generally, adding: "Children benefit from attending school wherever possible."

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "When children miss school unnecessarily, all children suffer, as teachers' attention is diverted to helping them catch back up, and we will not apologise for ensuring every child is in school accessing high and rising standards so they can achieve and thrive."

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