As children across England return to primary or secondary school in the coming days, new rules will be in force that parents considering a holiday soon should to take note of.
The government has increased the amount parents have to pay if their child misses five or more days of school without a valid reason, for the first time since 2012. They will now receive an £80 fine, doubled to £160 if they don’t pay within three weeks - up from the £60 they were originally charged. All schools are now legally required to consider a fine - rather than it being left up to the local authority.
The move appears to be part of a bid to crack down on term-time holidays, which often work out cheaper for families. The Department for Education says that currently, a whopping 89% of fines for unauthorised absence are being issued for children being taken on holiday when they should be at school - which it says is detrimental to their learning and development.
But when is comes to different parts of England, not all city, county, and borough councils are having to dish out fines to parents at the same rate. We’ve taken a look at the local authorities with the highest rates of notices issued compared to how many children are enrolled in local schools, to get a fair idea of which regions have the highest percentage of their student body - and biggest problem - with unauthorised absences.
Here are the 21 local authority areas that came out on top:
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9. Manchester
The city of Manchester itself is next. In the last academic year, its council issued 9,480 penalty notices for its nearly 82 thousand enrolments - a rate of 11.6%. | Adobe Stock
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10. Derby
Over in the East Midlands, Derby is next on the list. In the last academic year, its council issued 4,426 penalty notices for its 40 thousand enrolments - giving it a rate of 11.1%. | Adobe Stock
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11. Leicester
Also in the East Midlands, Leicester is next on the list. In the last academic year, its city council issued 6,013 penalty notices for its 54.5 thousand enrolments - giving it a rate of 11%. | Adobe Stock
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12. Peterborough
Back to the East of England, Peterborough is in 11th place. In the last academic year, its city council issued 3,948 penalty notices for its 36 thousand enrolments - giving it a rate of 10.9%. | Adobe Stock