Ban School Fines Petition Gains Traction in Greater Manchester

On March 31, hundreds of folks in Greater Manchester are rallying behind a petition to ban fines for parents whose kids miss school without permission.

Those penalties start at 80 pounds if paid within 21 days, jump to 160 pounds after that and can reach 2005.

100 pounds in court. The petition blasts these fines as a crude fix that ignores real attendance problems and is already pulled in over 12,000 signatures.

Across the UK, parents argue the system punishes family spacing illness, special needs or emergencies, while schools sometimes label valid absences as, unauthorized, eroding trust between homes and classrooms.

This academic year, unauthorized absence rates in Greater Manchester areas range from 2.24% in Bolton to 7.29%.

Percent in Southford, with most districts around 6%. Meanwhile, local support is strong, with dozens to 90 signatures per constituency like 90 in Lee and Etherton.

As numbers climb, it could spark real changes toward support over penalties.