Prosecution of parents of children with SEND for school absence

Motion Text

That this House notes with concern the increasing number of parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities who are being issued with penalty notices or prosecuted in the magistrates' courts for their child's absence from school; recognises that for many such children, attendance difficulties arise from unmet special educational needs, emotionally based school avoidance, sensory or environmental factors in the school setting, or delays in securing or implementing an Education, Health and Care Plan; further notes that parents in these circumstances are frequently doing all they reasonably can to support their child's education and wellbeing, often at significant personal cost; expresses concern that the current statutory framework, which permits fines of up to £2,500 and custodial sentences of up to three months, makes insufficient distinction between wilful truancy and the inability of a vulnerable child to attend a setting which cannot meet their needs; commends parent carer forums, campaigners and organisations supporting families in this position; and calls on the Government to bring forward reforms to attendance enforcement which recognise unmet SEND and mental health need as a distinct category of absence, and which ensure that families are offered support rather than sanctions.