The number of south east London parents fined for taking children on holiday

However, holiday prices rocket when schools break up, making it far more expensive than heading away during term time.

As of September 2013, laws in the UK tightened with regards to taking children out of school for unauthorised reasons.

Under the Department of Education guidance on this topic, Code H section 58 says: “Parents should plan their holidays around school breaks and avoid seeking permission from schools to take their children out of school during term time unless it is absolutely unavoidable.

“An application for leave of absence should (and from certain schools must) not be granted unless it is made in advance by a parent the pupil normally lives with and the school is satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances based on the individual facts and circumstance of the case which justify the leave.

“Where a leave of absence is granted, the school will determine the number of days a pupil can be absent from school.

“A leave of absence is granted entirely at the headteacher’s discretion.”

With this in mind, the Department of Education has released figures on the number of unauthorised absences in each London borough in the week commencing June 26, 2023 – the height of summer.

Greenwich proved to be the south east London borough with the highest rate of unauthorised absences in that week at three per cent.

This means that 35.7 per cent of the absences in Greenwich that week were unauthorised.

Following Greenwich was Bexley, with an unauthorised absence rate of 2.3 per cent.

Overall, this means that 35.9 per cent of absences in Bexley that week were unauthorised.

Lewisham’s unauthorised absence rate that week was only two per cent, making 27 per cent of absences in the borough unauthorised.

In Bromley, there were the lowest number of unauthorised absences from school at 1.3 per cent, meaning that 26 per cent of absences here were unauthorised.

The full data is here:

Bromley

Overall absence rate: 4.9 per cent

Authorised absence rate: 3.6 per cent

Unauthorised absence rate: 1.3 per cent

Greenwich

Overall absence rate: 8.4 per cent

Authorised absence rate: 5.4 per cent

Unauthorised absence rate: 3.0 per cent

Bexley

Overall absence rate: 6.4 per cent

Authorised absence rate: 4.1 per cent

Unauthorised absence rate: 2.3 per cent

Lewisham

Overall absence rate: 7.4 per cent

Authorised absence rate: 5.4 per cent

Unauthorised absence rate: 2.0 per cent

If parents fail to get authorisation for their holidays outside of term time, then they can be hit with some hefty fines.

According to the Department of Education, the amount of the fine depends on how quickly it is paid:

• Parents have to pay a fine of £60 if paid within 21 days
• This rises to £120 if paid within 22 to 28 days of the notice being issued
• If the fine is not paid the parent can be prosecuted. Both parents may be fined for the same absence

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Penalty notices can only be issued by a head teacher or someone authorised by them (a deputy or assistant head authorised by the head teacher), a local authority officer or the police.

Penalty notices can be issued to each parent liable for the attendance offence or offences.

There is no legal right that parents have to appeal these fines either.