The number of fines issued for children missing school in Brighton and Hove has fallen significantly since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Some 288 penalty notices were issued to parents locally for a child’s poor attendance in 2020-21, according to Department for Education (DfE) figures.
The measures did not apply for two months when schools were not open to all pupils.
No figures were available for 2019-20, because of the pandemic, but the number of fines last year was down 87 per cent from 2,180 in 2018-19.
Of the fines issued last year, 217 (75 per cent) were for unauthorised family holidays while two were for being late.
Across England, the number of notices issued fell from 333,400 to just 45,800 over this period – a fall of 86 per cent and the lowest number since 2011-12.
Their use varied greatly in different parts of the country, with 10 fines or fewer issued in 15 local areas.
Meanwhile, just a dozen areas were responsible for more than a third of all fines nationally last year.
Penalty notices are £60 if paid within 21 days of being issued but rise to £120 if paid between 22 and 28 days.
If the penalty is still outstanding, the council must either prosecute for the original offence or withdraw the notice.
There were almost 5,000 prosecutions for non-payment nationally last year – 15 of them in Brighton and Hove.
James Bowen, director of policy for the school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Fines have always been a blunt instrument when it comes to managing persistent absenteeism – and even more so if the reasons are related to the pandemic.
“Schools will be working closely with families where persistent absenteeism is an issue to provide the necessary support to help get pupils back into school.
“The reality is that if a parent is concerned enough about their child’s safety to keep them off school, the threat of a fine is unlikely to change their minds.”
Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “It’s important that all children are in school during term time, particularly as most will have missed out on extended periods of face-to-face education over the last two years, and many continue to face ongoing disruption as a result of covid.
“Head teachers have discretion over whether to classify an absence as authorised or unauthorised, and local authorities over whether to issue penalty notices.
“All involved will be mindful of the difficult circumstances of the last two years when making those decisions.”
The DfE said that fines were available to local authorities when there was no lawful reason for a child’s absence but other support to boost attendance could also be offered where appropriate.
