Thousands of fines have been issued to Cambridgeshire parents for not sending their children to school, the Ely Standard can reveal.
Figures obtained from Cambridgeshire County Council by this newspaper reveal more than 26,000 fines were received by parents in the last five years.
It comes after the Department for Education (DfE) announced in August it would increase fines for unauthorised absences from £60 to £80 if paid within 21 days and from £120 to £160 if paid within 28 days.
Under new rules created by the previous Conservative government, local authorities are now required to consider a fine if a child has missed at least five days of school.
The number of penalty notices issued has decreased compared to five years ago, with 7,443 penalties issued to parents in 2019 as opposed to 6,670 last year.
However, between 2021-23 the number of fines surged by a whopping 690 per cent, and more than 5,200 fines have been issued in 2024 alone.
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A spokesperson for the county council said it only issues fines for absences when it receives a referral from a child's place of education.
It follows DfE figures published earlier this year, which revealed unauthorised school absences in the county had increased by almost a quarter in the last two years.
More than 308,000 unauthorised absences were recorded across the autumn and spring terms of 2022-23 in state-funded Cambridgeshire schools, an increase of 24 per cent compared to 2021-22 (245,908).
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union, NAHT said: “We have long argued that fines are a blunt tool which do not get to the bottom of pupil absence or get families the support they need.
“Schools do a huge amount to support children back into school, and there have been green shoots of recovery in attendance figures – but schools alone are not equipped to address the often deep-rooted causes of poor attendance.
“Vital services which support families and schools, and key roles like education welfare officers, have faced swingeing cuts over the last decade.
He added: "Reinvesting in these services will be crucial if the new government is to help schools further improve absence rates.”
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Almost 400,000 penalty notices were issued to parents in England last year for failing to ensure their child attended school.
Government figures showed almost nine in ten of the penalty notices issued were for unauthorised holidays, as families looked to book cheaper breaks outside school term times.
The number of prosecutions of parents in Cambridgeshire also increased by more than 123 per cent between 2021-22, with more than 700 cases taken by the county council over the last five years.
Parents that are prosecuted can face a fine of up to £1,000 or conviction.
They said: “Once a fine has been issued it can be withdrawn at the school’s request. On rare occasions the school might do this if it has received new information that it considers to justify the absence."
Of the total fines issued by the local education authority, 22,226 were paid while 1,830 were withdrawn.
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