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Written question asked by Dan Norris (Independent (affiliation)) on Monday, 13 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 15 July 2026. It was answered by Paul Waugh (Labour) on Monday, 3 August 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many fixed penalty notices for school absences were issued in Bath, North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire in the last academic year.

Answer

For unauthorised school absences during the 2024/25 academic year, Bath and North East Somerset issued 1,014 penalty notices and South Gloucestershire issued 2,043 penalty notices.

A new national framework for penalty notices came into effect from August 2024 designed to embed our support-first approach and improve consistency and fairness across the country.

Our statutory guidance on attendance makes clear that legal intervention, including prosecution, should only be considered where support has been exhausted, not engaged with or, in the cases of term-time holidays, is not appropriate. The guidance sets out clear expectations on how schools, local authorities and wider services should work together to support attendance for all children.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
17942
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Absenteeism Fines Pupils South West
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk