As the 2024 'back to school' season kicks off, parents across the UK are once again being issued a harsh warning about new legislation which will limit their ability to take their children on holiday.
While mums and dads are well within their rights to book trips abroad and family vacations for October half-term or the Christmas break, they'll now be affected by a severe new set of restrictions if they choose to take their little ones out of school during term time.
The new legislation came into place last month (19 August) amid the Department of Education's (DoE) attempts to discourage parents from taking their children out of school.
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The difference now is, however, that as opposed to receiving a gentle warning if their child misses a day or two or school, parents are now at risk of having to fork out sums of money for removing their child for a holiday without prior permission once the school term has begun.
Plans for harsher punishments were revealed back in February.
Former education minister Damian Hinds spoke at the time of a new 'deterrent' that needed to be implemented into UK schools which would prosecute parents whose children miss out on five days worth of vital learning.
The former fee for such action was formerly £60, or £120 if not paid within an allocated 21 day period.
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Back in August, however, legislation put into place by the new Labour government meant that new that fines will now be given to parents raised to £80.
This fee will increase to a further £160 if not paid within 21 days.
New restrictions also say that, if a parent is fined for the same misconduct within a three-year period, the fine will stand immediately at £160 from the start.
In cases where a third penalty is necessary, 'alternative action' will now be considered - as per the new guidelines - which state that this will likely include prosecution.
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The news comes after a staggering 400,000 penalty notices were given to parents who removed their children from school without permission in England between 2022 and 2023.
Government officials were immediately concerned when it became apparent that this figure was considerably higher that pre-pandemic levels, implying parents feel now more at ease than ever about whisking their children away from their education.
A study carried out by the DoE found that over 89 percent of these removals from school were due to a parent prioritising a family holiday, which naturally tend to be cheaper during term time.
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Association of School and College Leaders' general secretary, Geoff Barton, previously told press of this issue: "While nobody wants to be in a position of fining parents there simply has to be a marker that this is not acceptable.
"Not only does it affect the child's education but it means teachers then have to spend time helping children to catch up with lost learning. If everybody did this it would be chaos."
According to the new guidance, however, both schools and local authorities are now expected to work together to take a 'support-first' approach to tackle the issue of missed attendance in school.
As per the new rules, a 'formal attendance contact' should first be agreed, or alternatively, a family court order pursued if necessary.
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Only once both of these measures have been considered will a fine be dispensed.
Rhianna Benson