Increased fines unlikely to halt term time absences

Increased fines unlikely to halt term time absences – time for some new thinking, says education lawyers Royds Withy King

Lancashire County Council has hit headlines with its proposals to fine parents £1,000 for taking children on holiday during term time.

But, say education lawyers Royds Withy King, increased fines are unlikely to halt term time absences and will hit low income families the hardest.  New sanctions should be explored.

Emma Banister Dean, a partner and education law expert at Royds Withy King said:

“Fining parents up to £120 is just not working: the cost savings families can make by taking term time holidays simply outweighs the cost of the fine.

“Whilst there is little excuse for taking children out of school during term time for a holiday, Lancashire county council’s plans to increase finds to £1,000 per parent are extreme, may not be lawful, and would hit low income families particularly hard.  Local authorities should look at other sanctions.”

And turning to defamation cases might provide one answer.

“In some defamation cases, individuals are ordered to attend court and stand up in front of a judge to explain their actions and then apologise,” explains Emma.

“There is no need for an additional financial penalty, just the inconvenience of having to attend court and the embarrassment of having friends, family and an employer knowing about the court appearance.  Often, individuals are more concerned or motivated by the threat of a court appearance than by a fine and that serves as a strong deterrent.”

About Royds Withy King: A UK Top 100 law firm with robust commercial, private client, personal injury and clinical negligence practices. It has the combined expertise of around 520 staff across offices in Bath, London, Oxford and Wiltshire and is a founding member of the international network of independent law firms, Interleges.

Royds Withy King achieved seven top tier rankings in The Legal 500 2018 and 39 lawyers were ranked as ‘Leaders in their Field’ in Chambers & Partners UK 2019, both leading guides to the law.

The firm is proud to be ranked for the last five years as a Sunday Times 100 Best Company to Work for. Royds Withy King also received a three star ‘extraordinary’ accreditation from Best Companies in 2017 – one of just six UK law firms to have done so.