21/10/2026
I'm glad this is in the media! I totally support that more needs to be done for sure!! 🙌
Have currently been referred to the attendance officer for my own daughter's attendance which the majority of her absences have been because of medical needs, hospital stays, tests and sometimes she's physically too unwell for school. Also very high anxiety levels has impacted significantly on her overall wellbeing. There is very little compassion and understanding from school! Very little reassurance for parents who are already anxious and trying their best!! 💔
Unfortunately the UKs education system is not accessible for all children and for those with sensory needs, high anxiety or other learning needs, more support and less judgement is needed!!
I hear of some schools locking the toilets to prevent access and forcing pupils with significant communication needs such as a stammer or selective Mutism to complete oral presentations and exams with no reasonable adjustments. 😢
‼️The Equality Act and ALN act are there for a reason and should be referred to when children's needs are not being acknowledged and/ or no adjustments are in place. I understand schools have many pupils to accommodate but it's frustrating how so many parents/ caregivers are not being listened to, whilst trying to advocate for their child.
As a parent and professional working with many young people with additional learning needs, too many families are in crisis and not being supported adequately! 💔
So I welcome this petition and where there are reasonable explanations such as the above for a pupils absence, fines and threats are the last things families need!! 😡
I signpost to SNAP Cymru (Wales): The leading national charity for children and young people with Additional Learning Needs (ALN) and disabilities. They provide free, independent advice, representation, and disagreement resolution across all 22 Welsh local authorities.🌟
Parents need support and not judgment! 💗
Motherland star Anna Maxwell Martin has called fines for school absences “cruel and unnecessary” as she backed parents campaigning for them to be scrapped.
The actor has said families of “vulnerable children” who face school attendance difficulties should not be fined and prosecuted.
Maxwell Martin will join parent campaigners to deliver a petition – which has received more than 290,000 signatures – to Downing Street on Tuesday which says families should be protected from “harm”.
Maxwell Martin said: “Fining and prosecuting vulnerable children and their families for non attendance is cruel and unnecessary and most importantly doesn’t work in improving attendance figures.
“What does improve outcomes for young people facing difficulty is meeting their needs at the point of need.”
School absence fines in England rose from £60 to £80 in 2024, and a parent who receives a second fine for the same child within a three-year period now receives a £160 fine.
If the child is off school three or more times within the same period, parents may be taken to court and they could face a fine of up to £2,500, a community order or a jail sentence.
The former Conservative government announced the hike in fines in 2024 as part of a drive to boost school attendance since the pandemic.
Parents Susan Liverman and Maddie Roberts, founders of the No School Fines campaign, launched the petition on Change. org in 2022 after they had experienced threats of fines and prosecution while their children were on long waiting lists for special educational needs and disabilities (Send) support.
Ms Liverman, from Northamptonshire, said “As a parent it felt like we were falling between cracks between systems – and the stress of realising we could be fined as a family just worsened a situation that was already impacting my own mental health.
“That was five years ago, and I can still remember the feelings of fear and shame – and promising myself that I would do my best to stop this from happening to other families.”
Ms Roberts, from Bedfordshire, said: “There is so much pressure when absences are unauthorised. There is nowhere to go; you’re just lost. You feel like you’re failing as a parent.”
A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: “We inherited a Send system under immense strain, with families waiting months for support, and poor outcomes for children. Our once-in-a-generation reforms will change that.
“Backed by £4 billion investment, we are already taking action to transform the system – backing schools to improve inclusion, widening access to specialist support and rolling out training for every teacher.
“Whilst fixed penalty notices continue to have a vital place in our system, schools should take a support first approach for children who are facing barriers to regular school attendance.”
✍Eleanor Busby
