Ban school attendance fines for parents of reception age

44
signatures
closedDepartment for EducationOpened 5 March 2026Closed 5 September 2026

Background

Ban fines for parents of reception-age children taking term-time leave Move the "compulsory attendance" fine threshold to the start of Year 1 or Year 2. Currently, a child reaches "Compulsory School Age" the term after they turn five. This creates an unfair "birthday lottery".

Additional details

We are calling on the Government to revise the rules surrounding school attendance penalty notices for children in their reception year. We urge the Government to raise the threshold at which attendance fines apply to the start of Year 1 or Year 2, aligning legal penalties with the beginning of the formal academic curriculum and national assessments instead of being based on just age.

Where it’s popular

Constituencies with the most signatures on this petition.

Source: UK Government & Parliament Petitions service. Petition ID: 759248.