Campaigners take SEND school absence fines petition to Downing Street

Campaigners from the No School Fines Campaign delivered a petition to Downing Street calling for fewer fines for unauthorised school absences. The campaign says fines should not fall on families whose children cannot attend school, including children with special educational needs and disabilities. It stressed that the petition is not about term-time holidays.

Susan Livermore, a parent with the campaign, described her own experience. She said her young person became unable to attend school five and a half years ago. She sought help from CAMHS, the GP and other services, but faced waiting lists and urgent cases that were not reached. At the same time, the school and local authority asked for proof and threatened fines. Her absences were authorised at the time, she said, but the threat of a fine remained.

Livermore said the problem was not a feckless parent or pupil but a system with a lack of oversight once a family enters an unauthorised absence loop. She argued that attendance guidance says support first, but support needs a clearer definition. Fines are meant to change parent behaviour, she said, and will not work when parents are already seeking help. She cited Square Peg and Not Fine in School, which she said support 80,000 families, and called for better absence code reporting and an attendance code of practice.

Under the current system in England, unauthorised absence can lead to fines, including £80 penalties, and routes to prosecution. Schools and local authorities can issue fines where absence is not accepted as authorised. Head teachers have discretion, but campaigners say guidance is applied inconsistently.

MPs in the studio discussion were largely sympathetic. Natasha said it was a SEND issue and that the SEND system had left parents fighting for resources. She pointed to a £4 billion investment in the SEND system and said schools should lead with a support first approach. Alec agreed there was a problem but drew a distinction with term-time holidays, saying one week of absence can do huge damage to life chances. Munira said fines should not be the first lever, and argued schools need incentives to be inclusive. She warned some academy trusts may not want SEND pupils because of performance figures, and said attendance is the best route to a good education.

The discussion did not include a direct response from the Department for Education. The panel expected the department to say it is support first. The campaigners want that promise defined, with fewer fines and better oversight for families stuck in unauthorised absence processes.