Carrie Howarth, 37, has been fined twice for taking her autistic son Sebastian on holiday during term-time, and has been threatened with prosecution if it happens again.
“We couldn’t go away during the summer because everywhere’s far too busy, and he can’t manage it,” she said.
“Sebastian struggles with all the noise, with all the people. It would just be too overwhelming.”
Howarth is among an increasing number of parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who are being fined for school absences in some areas, with sanctions doubling in the worst hotspots.
In 2024-25, at least 14 councils issued more fixed-penalty notices to families of children with the highest level of SEND support than in the previous year, according to freedom of information requests shared with The i Paper.
In Blackpool, the parents of five children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) – a legal document that sets out SEND support – were prosecuted over school attendance, according to council data obtained by Teneo International School.
‘Troubling gap’ in council fine records
Families of children with SEND were fined 17,520 times by 43 councils in 2024-25, and those with EHCPs were sanctioned 3,883 times by 29 councils.
However, most councils do not record whether absence fines involved a pupil with SEND, so the number underestimates the bigger picture across the country.
Ellie Costello, executive director at campaign group Square Peg, said a Government crackdown on school absences in 2024 had partly fuelled the increase. Under the rules, schools must consider fines if a child misses five or more days without authorisation.
Parents can only be fined twice within a three-year period, and then face potential prosecution for additional absences.
Overall, the total number of penalty notices for unauthorised school absences grew from about 487,000 in 2023/24 to 493,000 last year, according to the Department for Education (DfE).
While the Department for Education says the majority of fines are for parents taking their child out of school for unauthorised holidays, most councils were unable to say whether the children that were absent had been unwell.
Campaigners are concerned that this means authorities are unaware if the attendance crackdown is unfairly impacting parents of vulnerable children, who are more likely to be off school with illness.
Taryn Jankes, of Teneo International School, said this was a “troubling” gap in records.
“You cannot claim to support vulnerable children while fining them at a rising rate and declining to look at why they were absent,” she said.
Madeleine Cassidy, chief executive of SEND charity Ipsea, added that the findings highlighted a “serious problem in the system”.
She saidd: “Where a child or young person with SEND is too anxious or unwell to attend school, or where their needs have not been properly identified or supported, enforcement does not address the underlying issue.
“Families need the right support to be put in place, not penalties when the system has failed to meet a child’s needs.”
The areas where fines are rising
Few councils were able to provide data on absence fines for pupils with EHCPs across multiple years.
Out of 25 councils that did, 14 saw rises. The London borough of Hounslow experienced the biggest jump in absence for pupils who had EHCPs. Penalties nearly tripled from 23 to 65.
Fines more than doubled in Halton, Cheshire, from 23 to 54; and in Redcar and Cleveland, from 20 to 42.
Other areas experiencing significant increases included the London borough of Sutton (110 per cent), Stockport (80 per cent), Liverpool (71 per cent) and Southampton (46 per cent).
Manchester, Solihull, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Merton, Cornwall, and Central Bedfordshire also disclosed rises.
Manchester issued 617 fixed-penalty notices – more than any other council – up from 489 the previous year.
‘Families need support not penalties’
Costello said the criminalisation of school absences was “perpetuating Dickensian inequalities” by disproportionately targeting vulnerable families with fines and prosecutions.
She said children with SEND face “huge challenges” and often miss school because they are unwell.
She also accused councils of “using attendance fines as a cash cow to build a service that enforces the collection and referrals of fines and prosecutions”.
Councils have long been allowed to use the money they raise from fines to administer more enforcement. But the rules were broadened two years ago to allow them to spend any funds raised on more general attendance support, such as employing dedicated staff to help schools and families.
Costello said fines and threats of prosecution placed a “huge amount of stress” on families, even leading to self-harm and marriage breakdowns in some cases.
Jolanta Lasota, chief executive of Ambitious about Autism, said absence was “not a choice” for many autistic children, who can find school “overwhelming” and inaccessible if their needs are not met.
“It is particularly worrying that most councils do not record whether a child was absent because of anxiety, mental health challenges or other medical needs,” she added.
“Without this information, it is impossible to understand the true causes of absence or whether enforcement action is being taken against families who are already struggling to secure support.”
‘We’re already struggling’
A petition calling on the Government to ban school fines has been signed by nearly 140,000 people. The petition claims fines are “ineffective, punish families and have become a stealth tax”.
Some parents also believe it is unfair to be fined for taking children on holidays during term-time, particularly when breaks in the school holidays can cost thousands of pounds more.
Howarth took Sebastian, who has an EHCP, to Olympia in Greece in 2024, and to Florida in 2025.
She said the holidays had been an opportunity to teach her son about Greek and American history and get to know new cultures, which he “wouldn’t get” just being at school.
Teachers told her that the weeks he would be away would be quiet and Sebastian, who is one of the top academic performers in his class, had no problem catching up when he returned.
Carrie Howarth is among a growing numbers of parents of children with special educational needs who have been given school absence fines (Photo: Carrie Howarth)Sebastian has difficulties with personal space and is very tactile, which would be “nigh on impossible” to control in a resort full of people, his mother said. However, the headteacher told her council officials “just look at the numbers” and that, even though she would have preferred to approve the holiday, she would likely receive a fine from them.
“We’re already struggling to be SEND parents, and you’re going to hit us again,” Howarth said. “How is that okay?”
The first fine in a three-year period is £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days. If a parent gets a second fine within three years, this leads to a £160 fine – and non-payment can lead to court action.
Councils say fines always ‘last resort’
Councils including Hounslow, Halton, Central Bedfordshire and Surrey all said their schools work with families to understand school absence. Where fines are considered, individual circumstances are always considered, they added.
Hounslow said issuing fines is a “last resort”. Halton said it had a duty to promote attendance in line with national guidance. Formal enforcement measures are used when support and engagement have not led to improvement.
Solihull Council said fines were mainly issued when children were taken out of school for holidays in term time, and had decreased overall as a result of the new government guidance which prioritises supporting families in the first instance.
“We do not pursue fines where we know a child is absent due to being unwell,” it added.
Manchester City Council said 92 per cent (567) of the 617 notices issued in 2024-25 were for unauthorised absences other than holidays. Circumstances where children have medical needs are recorded as authorised absences by schools.
Central Bedfordshire said that if a child had SEND, an EHCP or health issues affecting attendance, schools must discuss the case with a school attendance officer before requesting a notice.
Southampton City Council said it reviewed every absence on a “case-by-case basis”.
The other local authorities were approached for comment. The Department for Education declined to comment.
Do you have experience with school absence fines? We’d love to hear from you – email alexa.phillips@theipaper.com
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