Nearly 10,000 Birmingham parents fined for term-time holidays this year

Birmingham schools have issued almost 10,000 fines to parents this year for taking their children out of school without permission, mainly for term-time holidays.

Figures obtained by Birmingham Live show 9,697 penalty notices have been issued by schools in the city since the start of January.

Fines have gone up

The penalty for an unauthorised absence was raised to £80 per parent, per child in 2024, rising to £160 if it is not paid within 21 days. A second fine within three years is charged at the higher rate straight away, and a third can lead to prosecution.

Despite the higher fines, the numbers suggest many families are still prepared to pay them.

The cost of a holiday

For many parents, the sums are simple. Holidays booked outside the school holidays are often far cheaper.

Tom Vaughan, from Confused.com, said: "For some families, taking some extra holiday days during term-time can seem appealing, with rates often being cheaper outside peak school holiday periods. Our research found that parents or guardians say they saved £567 on average when taking trips during term time."

"But it doesn't come without financial consequences, with UK parents issued £41 million in fines for term-time holidays between 2022 and 2024."

Most parents think fines are unfair

A recent Birmingham Live poll found that 68% of parents thought term-time fines were unfair, 29% thought they were fair, and 3% were not sure.

Attendance targets

Schools are unlikely to relax the rules. From this September, every mainstream state school in England has been given its own target to improve attendance by the Department for Education, as part of a wider drive to reduce absence, which has stayed stubbornly high since the pandemic.

That means headteachers are under greater pressure than ever to push attendance up, and less likely to authorise holidays.

What the rules say

Headteachers can only grant leave during term time in exceptional circumstances, and the decision is theirs. Holidays are not usually treated as exceptional. Parents who take their children out without permission can be fined once the absence reaches the threshold set out in national guidance, which is ten sessions, or five school days, in a rolling period of ten school weeks.

The government argues that every day of school matters, and that pupils with high attendance do better in their exams. Its research has found that pupils who achieve the best GCSE results generally have fewer days off than those who do less well.

Campaigners for parents argue that a blanket approach punishes families who cannot afford peak-season prices, and that a week away can have educational value of its own. Travel companies, meanwhile, say prices rise in the school holidays because demand is far higher.

Parents who are struggling with a child's attendance for other reasons, such as anxiety or illness, are encouraged to speak to the school, which can offer support and may involve other services.