Number of term-time holiday fines double in county

The number of fines issued to parents in a county who took their children on a term-time holiday has more than doubled in the last two years.

Hertfordshire County Council issued 2,887 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) in 2024-25 compared with 1,292 FPNs in 2023-24, according to data requested by Local Democracy Reporting Service

As part of government changes implemented in August 2024, FPNs are given when a child registers 10 unauthorised half-day school absences, or five days.

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: "We are sure that the parents of Hertfordshire want the best education for their children."

The fines amounted to the authority receiving more than £240,000 in 2024-25 and £106,000 in 2023-24.

With the prices of holidays, accommodation and flights increasing in school holidays, many families are tempted by the lower costs of term-time vacations.

Since the change in national guidance parents can no longer take their children out of school for a week's holiday without the risk of a fine – which they could have done previously when fines were triggered by 15 unauthorised half-day school absences.

The fine for a first FPN is £80 per parent per child, £20 higher than in 2023-24.

For a person who breaches attendance rules for a second time in any three-year period, the fine rises to £160 per parent per child.

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: "By taking family holidays during the school holiday periods, the parents of Hertfordshire will be supporting their children's full school attendance, learning and development."