Parents fined £1.4m for taking children out of school

Parents in Manchester were fined £1.4m for taking children out of school in the last three years, a Freedom of Information request has found.

More than 20,000 fines were given to parents in 2022, 2023, and 2024 for unauthorised absences from Manchester schools, the request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed.

The number of fines rose from 5,179 in 2022 to 8,138 in 2024 — meaning the amount collected by Manchester council surpassed the £1.4m mark. In total, fines issued were worth £1,421,933.

Manchester City Council said it was important for pupils to be in school.