Fixed Penalty Notices for unauthorised school absences

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Dear Merton Borough Council,

I would like to request the following data under the Freedom of Information Act 2000:

1. How many Fixed Penalty Notices has your council handed out between September 2018 – July 2019 to parents for the following unauthorised school absences:
a. Persistent lateness (arriving after the register has been taken)
b. Unauthorised leave in term time (e.g. being taken out of school for holiday)
c. Delayed return from authorised leave
d. General unauthorised absence/truancy (including parentally condoned absence)
2. How many FPNs have not been paid within the 21 day allocated time frame?
3. How many FPNs have not been paid within the 28 day allocated time frame, and subsequently gone to court?
4. How much revenue has been collected from FPNs between September 2018 - July 2019?
5. Could you please provide a comparison for questions 1-4 for the previous school year (2017-2018)?

Yours faithfully,

Naomi Aharony

foi, Merton Borough Council

Thank you for your email message. We aim to respond to all requests under
the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information
Regulations 2004 within 20 working days.
More information about the way we deal with information requests is on our
web site at [1]www.merton.gov.uk/foi.
 
Information Governance Team
London Borough of Merton.
020 8545 4634
 
 
 

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Avril Borg, Merton Borough Council

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Ms Naomi Aharony

Via e mail

Naomi<request-614281-a877d5eb@whatdo theyknow.com

 

 

Dear Ms Aharony

 

Freedom of Information Act 2000 / Environmental Information Regulations
2004 Information request FOI: F13255

 

We have now considered your information request as set out below. 

 

You asked:

 

1.         How many Fixed Penalty Notices has your council handed out
between September 2018 – July 2019 to parents for the following
unauthorised school absences:

a.         Persistent lateness (arriving after the register has been
taken)

b.         Unauthorised leave in term time (e.g. being taken out of school
for holiday)

c.         Delayed return from authorised leave

d.         General unauthorised absence/truancy (including parentally
condoned absence)

2.         How many FPNs have not been paid within the 21 day allocated
time frame?

3.         How many FPNs have not been paid within the 28 day allocated
time frame, and subsequently gone to court?

4.         How much revenue has been collected from FPNs between September
2018 - July 2019?

5.         Could you please provide a comparison for questions 1-4 for the
previous school year (2017-2018)?

 

 

 

Penalty Delayed PNs PNs How much Court
Notices return Penalty paid paid revenue cases.
for Penalty Notices from Notices for within by has been s4441
Persistent for Unauthorised Authorised Unauthorised 21 28 collected Education
lateness* Leave of Absence Leave* Absence days days from PNs Act 1996
Not Not
recorded recorded
separately   separately          
Year                
                    
2017/18   211   117 179 22 £13, 380 102
                 
  
2018/19   222   121 234  20 £16440 51

 

 

Notes:*

 

A:        Merton does not use the term Fixed Penalty Notices (PN) for PNs
issued in regard to school attendance. We refer to them as Penalty
Notices.

B:        Penalty Notices for Unauthorised Absence may include marks for
Late after the close of Registers i.e. a U code. The U code denotes an
unauthorised absence and we do not record these separately for the
purposes of issuing a PN fine.  If a pupil arrives after the Register is
taken but before the close of Registers then that mark is recorded using a
L code and this does not denote an unauthorised absence so would not
contribute to an enforcement action.

C:        Where the return to school is delayed following authorised
leave, this absence will usually be taken into account for subsequent
enforcement action,  should the data support this course of action.

 

2 &3:   We record positive actions so those who pay within the 21/28 day
timescales  rather than those who have not done so.  This is the data
being reported above

4:         By law any monies received from Penalty Notice fines must
be/are used to pay for administration of the Penalty Notice process. As
the term Revenue can mean ‘profits’ I wish to be clear that any payment
made under this process in Merton is used as directed by the Law.

 

 

If you have any queries or concerns about this please contact me.

 

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request or wish to
appeal against the decision to exempt any part of your request, you should
request an Internal Review at [1][Merton Borough Council request email] or write in to Freedom
of Information team, Merton Council, Civic Centre, Morden, SM4 5DX.

 

If you escalate to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) without
following the council’s internal review process, the ICO will refer you
back to the council to enable the correct process to be followed.

 

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint,
you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:

 

The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

 

Website: [2]www.ico.org.uk

 

There is no charge for making an appeal.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

[3]Avril signature

 

 

Avril Borg

Senior Education Welfare Officer

London Borough of Merton

020 8545 3650

USO.fx:  aborg1.315

[4][email address]

 

[5]https://www.merton.gov.uk/legal/privacy-...

 

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