You may receive a penalty notice (PN) if:
- Your child was absent from School for 10 or more sessions (5 or more days) due to an unauthorised holiday, OR
- Your child has accrued 10 or more sessions of unauthorised absence in any 10-week rolling period.
A PN may be issued per parent/carer and per child:
- First Offence within a 3-year period - Pay £80 within 21 days of receipt of the PN or Pay £160 between 22-28 days of receipt of the PN
- Second Offence within a 3-year period – Pay £160 within 28 days of receipt of the PN with no option to pay a reduced amount.
- Third offence within a 3-year period is likely to result in prosecution.
If you do not pay the PN, we may start prosecution proceedings, unless the PN was issued in error in which case it will be withdrawn.
Only two PNs will be issued per parent/carer per child within a three-year period. This means that if you paid both PNs and then committed a further offence contrary to s444(1) Education Act 1996 within the next three years, you are likely to be summonsed to Court for the most recent offence. If convicted, you could receive a fine of up to £1000.