Oxfordshire term time school absences leap up
03/02/2026
Term times holidays can be considerably cheaper, even taking into account the level of the fine
by Esme Kenney, Local Democracy Reporter
A record number of parents in Oxfordshire have been fined for taking their children on holiday during term time, new data has shown.
The figures for the county reflect the national trend, with the latest Department for Education (DfE) figures showing more parents being fined for taking their children out of school than ever before.
In Oxfordshire, 2,864 fines were given out for unauthorized school absences in the 2024/25 academic year, which is the highest figure in the past decade.
Of this, 2184 (which equates to 76 per cent) were due to holidays taken during term time, 14 were for being late and 666 were classed as “other”.
Oxfordshire County Council, which is responsible for fines, also raised £152,720 from school absence fines in the 2024/25 academic year.
The county council confirmed the income from fines is used to administer the attendance system and fund attendance support work.
In the country as a whole 492,825 fines were given out in 2024/25, of which 459,288 (which equates to 93 per cent) were for term-time holiday absences.
This is up from 487,344 fines in 2023/24, with 443,322 of them being issued to parents taking their children on holiday.
But in Oxfordshire, the jump from the previous year was much starker.
In 2023/24 academic year, there were only 666 fines, with 523 (78 per cent) being due to term-time holidays.
In the year before that, there were 1327 fines, with 1301 (98 per cent) being due to term-term holidays.
A spokesperson for the county council said: “The system for fines for school attendance/absence is a national, not a local one.
“The effectiveness of the system is therefore a question for national policy makers.
“Similarly, recent trends in school attendance/absence are national, not Oxfordshire specific.
“We support all schools to manage attendance and in situations where it is necessary to impose a fine, the local authority deals with the process.
“In 2024/2025, 2,504 fines were issued generating £152,720 in total which was used for administering the attendance system and to fund attendance support work.”
The county council was asked to explain the number of fines classed as “other”.
Fines are given out to parents who fail to ensure that their child attends school regularly, who allow their children to miss school without a school’s permission, who fail to return their child to school after an agreed leave of absence, or that their child is persistently late to school.
The fine costs £80 per parent/carer, rising to £160 if the penalty is not paid within 21 days.
The county council is responsible for education, but most schools in Oxfordshire are part of academy trusts and are not directly managed by the local authority.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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