Overview

• English local authorities issued 487,344 fixed-penalty notices in 2023–24, a 22% jump on the previous year, with 91% tied to unauthorised term-time holidays.
• Since August, fines have risen to £80 per parent per child and double to £160 if unpaid, with court penalties up to £2,500 and possible custodial sentences for repeat breaches.
• Only about 28,000 parents faced prosecution last year, highlighting that most respondents prefer to pay penalties rather than risk formal court action.
• Surveys from KPMG and Confused.com show a third of parents still plan term-time breaks, with average savings of £567 and some families cutting more than £1,000 from holiday costs.
• MPs, headteachers and advocacy groups are urging the Department for Education to explore flexible term dates, travel price caps or targeted exemptions to ease cost pressures.