End automatic school attendance fines and allow parental discretion
We want automatic fines for short school absences to stop. Parents should have discretion for family time or reasonable absences. Attendance rules should be flexible, fair, and only penalise absences that harm a child’s education.
Signatures
6
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 6/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 6/100,000
- 17 APR 2026Petition rejectedduplicate
We already have a petition open on this subject which you may wish to sign: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/761127
- 20 MAR 2026Petition created
Background
Parents are being fined even when acting responsibly. The system is too rigid, adds financial pressure, and does not reflect real family life. Parents should be trusted to make decisions about their children. A fairer system would allow flexibility and only target harmful absences.