Non-attendance fines

The request was partially successful.

Dear Lancashire County Council,

Please can you confirm, in your local authority area:

1. How many penalty notices/fines were issued to parents due to their children missing school without good reason in the 2015/2016 school year?

2. The total amount (£) worth of penalty notices/fines issued to parents due to their children missing school without good reason in the 2015/2016 school year?

3. The number of appeals made by parents who have been issued a penalty notice/fine due to their children missing school without good reason in the 2015/2016 school year?

Yours faithfully,

Christina Savage

Freedom of Information, Lancashire County Council

Dear Ms Savage,

 

Request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000

 

We are writing to acknowledge receipt of your email dated 17th August
2016, in which you request the disclosure of information under the
provisions of the above Act.

 

We can confirm that your enquiry will now be assigned to an officer who
will commence a search for the information you require and they will
respond in due course.

 

The deadline date for issuing you with a full response is 15th September.
We will endeavour to provide a response well in advance of this date,
however, should we envisage any delays, or require more details from you,
we will contact you immediately. If you have any queries about the above,
please do not hesitate to contact us, quoting the relevant reference
number 909.1106.SP

 

Yours sincerely,

 

On Behalf of the Information Governance Team

Lancashire County Council,

PO Box 78,

County Hall,

PRESTON,

PR1 8XJ

[Lancashire County Council request email]

 

show quoted sections

Freedom of Information, Lancashire County Council

Dear Ms Savage

 

Access to Information under the Freedom of Information Act (2000)

 

Further to your request dated 17 August, in which you request disclosure
of information under the provisions of the above Act; I am now in a
position to respond;

 

1.    How many penalty notices/fines were issued to parents due to their
children missing school without good reason in the 2015/2016 school year?

 

5654 (please note this is to date and further fines may be scheduled to be
issued today or tomorrow)

 

2.    The total amount (£) worth of penalty notices/fines issued to
parents due to their children missing school without good reason in the
2015/2016 school year?

 

If all fines were paid at full rate (£120): £678,480

If all fines were paid at discounted rate (£60): £339,240

Actual total received in respect of above fines: £264,000

 

                Money collected through the payment of penalty notices
covers the administration of the process – the County Council cannot make
any money out of it.  Any "profit" has to be sent to the Secretary of
State.

 

3.    The number of appeals made by parents who have been issued a penalty
notice/fine due to their children missing school without good reason in
the 2015/2016 school year?

 

None.  There is no provision in law for parents to appeal against penalty
notices issued for non-attendance at school.  Any representations made by
parents against a school's decision to request a penalty notice would be
made through the school's complaints procedure and this is not information
held by the local authority.

 

            Lancashire County Council does not hold the information you
are seeking, as it is held by the individual schools within the county.

 

Part IV of Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 defines
schools as separate public authorities for the purposes of the Act. 
Consequently, this aspect of your enquiry will need to be addressed to
each of the schools within Lancashire separately.  A list of schools is
available on the following page of the County Council's website:

 

[1]http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/children-ed...

 

If you have any queries regarding any of the above, or you require any
additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Miss S Patel

Access to Information Officer

Information Governance Team

Lancashire County Council

 

[2]www.lancashire.gov.uk

Thinking about fostering? [3]Foster with us and we'll help make the best
match between a child and your family.

show quoted sections