Parents are being alerted over fresh guidance issued to schools about when to consider handing out fixed penalties for term-time holidays, with one claiming they've found a loophole. The Department for Education has rolled out new rules aimed at managing school attendance, coupled with a revamped national framework for issuing fines and tweaks to the law itself. As of August 19, when the new laws kicked in, schools across the nation have been expected to toe the line on the updated legal advice.
With many families still opting to whisk children away during school days to avoid peak holiday tariffs a trend that surged last year this latest advisory comes with what some have flagged up as a potential 'loophole'. Schools now face an obligation - if a pupil's chair is empty for a block of five days or more, they must forward the case to their Local Authority for a possible Penalty Notice. One switched-on parent at a Lancashire academy shared with LancsLive : "In theory that means that, as long as your child hasn't had any unauthorised absences already that term, you could book a holiday to start four days before the end of the year and not be reported to the local authority.
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