School holiday fines for parents: what parents need to know before booking a term time holiday

This article explains how holiday fines work, what the fine is in pounds and pence, when a penalty notice must be considered, what happens if you do not pay, and why schools take absence seriously.  The article also considers what the data tells us about how common term time holidays have become.

The starting point: holidays are usually not an exceptional circumstance

In England, you can only allow your child to miss school if they are too ill or if you have advance permission from the school. Government guidance says there may be exceptional circumstances where absence can be granted, but it also states clearly that a holiday is generally not considered an exceptional circumstance, and you cannot usually take your child away during term time.

This is important because the decision to authorise absence sits with the school, not with parents. If a term time holiday is not authorised, the absence is recorded as unauthorised. In that circumstance, there is a risk of a school holiday fine.

What is the fine for taking a child out of school for a holiday?

From August 2024, the national rules set a standard amount for school absence fines across England. The current position is:

• £80 per parent if paid within 21 days
• £160 per parent if paid within 28 days

These are the base line fines, but there are additional factors to be aware of.

First, the fine is generally issued per parent. Therefore, each parent may receive a penalty notice for the same child. Thus, two parents taking two children out of school could result in a fine of £320, provided the fine is paid within 21 days.

Second, repeat fines escalate. If a parent receives a second fine for the same child within a three year period, it is charged at the higher rate of £160, thereby increasing the penalty for a family of four substantially.

Third, fines are capped. The national framework caps fines so that each parent will only get up to two fines for the same child within a three year period. After that, alternative action is considered instead of another penalty notice.

Finally, in terms of alternative action, you could end up in court. Criminal prosecution can result in a fine of up to £2,500. The court can impose other outcomes such as a community order or even custody in the most serious cases.

When must a school or local authority consider issuing a penalty notice?

From August 2024, there is a national threshold that makes the system more consistent. Under national rules, the law empowers designated local authority officers, head teachers, or the police to issue penalty notices in cases of unauthorised absence from school for pupils of compulsory school age. Those authorised to issue penalty notices are required to consider a fine when a child has missed 10 or more sessions for unauthorised reasons. Ten sessions usually equals five school days because each day is split into a morning session and an afternoon session.

It is important to reflect on two words here: consider and unauthorised.

Consider means looking at the individual circumstances rather than automatically issuing a fine in every case. Parents should generally be offered support to improve attendance before measures are put in place, particularly where children face barriers such as health needs or special educational needs and disabilities.

Unauthorised means the school did not approve the absence in advance, or the reason does not fall within the limited set of permitted reasons.

In practice, an unauthorised term time holiday of five days is likely to meet the national threshold and the imposition of a term time holiday fine.

What happens if you do not pay the fine?

If a parent does not pay a fine within 28 days, they may be taken to court. In addition to a criminal prosecution and fine, local councils and schools have several legal tools available, including parenting orders, education supervision orders and school attendance orders.

How common are term time holidays and holiday fines?

Despite the potential for parents being fined, the official data shows that parents are not deterred from taking their child out of school in term time. This is possibly because, even with a fine, the cost of a holiday is cheaper than travelling in half term or at the end of term.

In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, there were 398,800 penalty notices issued for unauthorised absence in England, and 356,200 of these, 89.3%, were for unauthorised family holidays.

In the 2023 to 2024 academic year, the most recent figures available, there were 487,300 penalty notices issued for unauthorised absence in England, and 443,300 of these, 91%, were due to unauthorised family holidays.

Table: penalty notices linked to unauthorised family holidays in England

Source: Department for Education.

The impact on learning from term time holiday absence

Parents may argue that a holiday will not affect their child’s education, short or long term. The challenge with this argument is that learning in school is cumulative. Lessons are sequenced, skills built, and teachers plan work assuming pupils will be present. Even a short absence can create gaps that take longer than expected to close.

Every moment in school counts. Evidence shows pupils with good attendance enjoy better wellbeing and school performance than those who do not have a good attendance record.

From a practical, classroom perspective, term time absence can affect learning in several ways. A child may miss the introduction of a topic, so when they return from holiday they are trying to learn step two without step one. That is particularly common in maths, phonics, and languages, where concepts build in a structured order.

A child may miss practice time. Many skills need repetition with feedback. When a pupil is absent, they lose the teacher explanation, the guided practice, and the chance to correct misunderstandings quickly.  A child may miss assessed work and teachers may have less information about what the pupil can do. That can lead to missed interventions or delayed support.

A child may feel on the back foot socially and emotionally, especially in younger years or at points of transition. It is important to acknowledge that being in school is not just about learning but also about wellbeing, development and mental health.

This is why schools are often reluctant to authorise term time holiday. It is not about being inflexible for its own sake. It is about protecting a child’s continuity of learning and the stability of the classroom.

What parents can do to reduce the risk of a school holiday fine

This is where a pragmatic approach helps. All parents will wish to avoid an unauthorised school absence fine.  If you are trying to make a decision and want to avoid a penalty notice, the most effective steps are straightforward:

• Speak to the school early, before anything is booked, and ask what evidence they would need to consider your request.
• Assume the default is no for a term time holiday, and budget for school holiday travel where possible, even if that means changing destination, dates, or trip length.
• If you face genuine barriers, such as a child with additional needs or health related attendance issues, focus on support planning with the school rather than framing the issue as a holiday request.

Frequently asked questions parents raise about school holiday fines in England

Is the fine for term time holiday per family or per parent?

In practice, the penalty notice is per parent, and it can apply to more than one parent.

How quickly does the school holiday fine increase?

The national amounts are structured so that £80 applies if paid within 21 days, and £160 applies if paid within 28 days.

What if we take our child on holiday a second time?

If a second fine is issued within three years for the same child, it is charged at the higher rate of £160. There is also a cap of two fines per parent for the same child within three years, after which other action is considered.

 Can we just refuse to pay a school holiday fine?

If you do not pay within 28 days you may be taken to court. The system allows councils to prosecute parents for school attendance offences.

Can we get permission for a term time holiday?

Schools can grant permission only where there are exceptional circumstances. The school will consider each application on its own merits. However, it is important to understand that a holiday is generally not considered an exceptional reason.

A conclusion for parents weighing up the decision

There is no pretending family budgets are not under pressure, or that school holiday pricing does not feel unfair. However, the education framework is aimed at protecting regular school attendance, for the benefit of all school children.

It is not easy for parents, who will always want the best for their children. Ultimately, it is for individual parents to make decisions which they feel are in the best interests of their children. Schools and many parents will have different views on the subject, but one thing is for certain: the cost is not always in financial terms.