Truancy

School truancies lead to rise in prosecution of parents

The number of parents taken to court in England because of children skipping school rose sharply last year, official figures show.

In 2014, 16,430 people were prosecuted for failing to ensure their children went to school, an increase of more than 3,000 - or 25% - on 2013.

Ministry of Justice figures, obtained by the Press Association, revealed more than three-quarters were found guilty.

Head teachers' leaders said good attendance was "absolutely critical".

Crackdown breakdown

The rise follows a crackdown on children missing school, including new rules onterm-time holidays, which were introduced two years ago.

The 2014 figures, gathered in a freedom of information request to the Ministry of Justice, show:

• 12,479 people found guilty of truancy offences - up 22%
• 9,214 fines, averaging £172, issued by courts - up 30%
• 18 jail sentences in 2014 - compared with seven in 2013
• Ten of those jailed and more than half (58%) of those fined for a child missing school were women

Parents can be issued with on-the-spot penalty notices of £60 per child by schools, rising to £120 if unpaid after three weeks, if their child has an unauthorised absence.

Failure to pay, or incurring two or more fines, can lead to parents being referred to the local authority's education welfare service, which has the power to take them to court.

Courts can issue maximum fines of £2,500 or jail sentences of up to three months.

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Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/education-33861985