PETITIONOpenPetition · petition.parliament.uk
Ban school attendance fines for parents of reception age
Ban fines for parents of reception-age children taking term-time leave Move the "compulsory attendance" fine threshold to the start of Year 1 or Year 2. Currently, a child reaches "Compulsory School Age" the term after they turn five. This creates an unfair "birthday lottery".
Last fetched 03 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk
Signatures
42
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 42/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 42/100,000
Background
We are calling on the Government to revise the rules surrounding school attendance penalty notices for children in their reception year. We urge the Government to raise the threshold at which attendance fines apply to the start of Year 1 or Year 2, aligning legal penalties with the beginning of the formal academic curriculum and national assessments instead of being based on just age.