School absence fines in England: £80 per parent, £160 late, and court on the third occasion

Term-time travel is cheaper — and in England that is exactly where families run into fines. The rule is short: a child may miss school only if they are too ill to attend, or if the school has given permission in advance. Anything else is an unauthorised absence, and it is the parents who pay — each of them separately.

How long must a child attend school?

Education is compulsory from the school term after the child's fifth birthday until the last Friday in June of the school year in which they turn 16. GOV.UK puts it exactly that way — not "until the age of 16", but until a specific Friday in June.

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It is the school that decides whether an absence counts as authorised. It considers each request to take a child out of school on its own merits and may approve it.

Can you take a holiday during term time?

Usually not. GOV.UK states plainly that a holiday is generally not an exceptional circumstance, so you cannot normally take your child away during term time — and you can be fined or face legal action for doing so.

The exceptional-circumstances route does exist: you may ask, and the school will consider the request. But GOV.UK does not define what counts as exceptional. That judgement belongs to the school, not the parent.

How much is the fine, and who gets it?

The council can fine each parent £80. If it is not paid within 21 days, it rises to £160. For two parents of one child that means £160 if paid promptly, and £320 if it is not.

When fines are issued and how they are paid varies between councils, so the detail has to be checked with your own local authority.

What happens on a second or third occasion?

Since the 2024 to 2025 school year there is a firm cap: each parent can receive no more than two fines for the same child within a three-year period.

A second fine inside those three years is £160 from the start. If it is not paid within 28 days, you may be taken to court.

A third occasion is not settled with a fine at all. If the child is absent three or more times within three years, there is no fine — the parent may be prosecuted instead.

What does prosecution mean?

On conviction you could face a fine of up to £2,500, a community order, or a jail sentence of up to three months. The court can also issue a Parenting Order.

One detail that surprises many families: the council does not have to issue a fine or any order before prosecuting. It can go straight to court.

What other measures can a council use?

A Parenting Order requires a parent to attend parenting classes and follow the court's directions to improve the child's attendance.

An Education Supervision Order is applied for through the court when a parent needs support getting the child to school but is not co-operating. A supervisor is appointed to help. It can be used instead of prosecution, or alongside it.

A School Attendance Order is issued when the council believes the child is not receiving an education at all. You then have 15 days to show that the child is registered at the school named in the order, or that you are providing home education. If you do not, you can be fined or prosecuted.

Where are the full rules?

Schools and councils work to the Department for Education's statutory guidance "Working together to improve school attendance". The version applying from 19 August 2024 was added on 29 February 2024, and the publication page was last updated on 9 July 2026. It also sets out school responsibilities, support for persistently absent pupils, and attendance register requirements.

The practical lesson for a family is a single one. Permission is asked for before the trip, and it is asked of the school — not explained after the flight home. The gap between an authorised absence and an unauthorised one is £80 per parent, and on a repeat, a route to court.