Fines for taking city kids out of school for holidays on increase

IN THE LAST DECADE THE NUMBERS HAVE SKYROCKETED

- STEPHANIE BALLOO

THE number of fines issued to parents for taking children on term-time holidays has skyrocketed in Birmingham over the last decade.

Nearly 12,800 penalty notices were given to parents in our city during the 2024/25 academic year where the main reason was for unauthorised absences due to a family holiday.

That works out at 704 fines for every 10,000 pupils across Birmingham. That's actually fewer fines than a year earlier when more than 14,600 were issued.

However, it’s still much higher than the 11,000 fines issued in the 2022/23 academic year and it is more than three times higher than the number issued before the pandemic.