The parents of a Torfaen child whose school attendance was 62 per cent from April to July this year have been fined.

Torfaen Council brought the prosecution after they failed to ensure their child regularly attended school. Last Thursday, Cwmbran Magistrates Court fined both of them £440, with £60 costs and £176 victim surcharge.

The council’s target attendance rate is 95 per cent. The council told the court that the family had been offered a significant level of support from the school and other services, including social care and housing. The parents were offered regular meetings and extensive assistance from the school’s family engagement officer team, including help with getting the pupil to school and food parcels.

Councillor Richard Clark, Executive Member for Children, Families and Education, said: “Every child has the right to an education and prosecution is the last resort. We will always aim to work with families to provide bespoke support to ensure their children can go to school. I am pleased the court recognised the extensive help and support the school and Education Welfare Service offered to this child and their parents. This is the first case to go to court since we introduced our new attendance policy earlier this year and we will continue to support this family, as well as any others who need our help.”

In March, the council introduced a new attendance policy, which approved the use of Fixed Penalty Notices by schools for unauthorised absences. Since March 2023, the council has issued 66 fixed penalty notices (FPN).

An FPN can be issued when there is a minimum of 10 unauthorised sessions or five school days, a child is persistently late or where parents refuse to engage with a school to improve their child’s school attendance levels.

In more serious cases, a decision can be made to prosecute rather than issue a FPN. Failure to pay a FPN can also result in court action.