FUNERAL FINE
My son’s school is fining me for going to his grandad’s FUNERAL – they say it’s not ‘exceptional’ enough of a reason
And a break down of the rules surrounding school fines
A WOMAN shared her annoyance after her son's school fined her for taking him to a family funeral.
The mum-of-three explained that she was upset over having to deal with the issue in the wake of her father's death.
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In a post on Mumsnet, the user shared the details of the situation, including the school's excuse for not approving the absence.
"I am so bloody angry and upset right now," the unnamed woman wrote.
She explained that she suddenly lost her dad, who lived over 300 miles away from her home.
The woman said that the journey to his funeral included a trip on a ferry journey so she ideally would've liked some time to manage it.
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She also explained that her family's culture spent seven days in total for the funeral process.
"I understand this is not the norm and my children [wouldn't] be attending the full seven days," the poster clarified.
She revealed that the service itself was scheduled to take place on a Thursday.
"I submitted a leave of absence form for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday due to the journey," she said.
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However, her son's school rejected the application and informed her his absence would result in a fine.
"The attendance officer from my son’s school has just rang and been extremely unpleasant, [they] said it will be unauthorised as it’s not viewed by the school as an exceptional circumstance," she wrote.
My daughter’s school put her in isolation for getting her nose pierced but we couldn’t care less so I pierced the other side on a Sunday afternoon too
"We will be charged £160 fine as my son had a week off in July for surgery."
The woman let the school know she would still be taking her son to attend his grandad's funeral, regardless of the the fine.
"I also said it was exceptional circumstances as you only die once, maybe not my finest moment but it was the least rude thing I could think of," she said.
She revealed that her oldest child is in university and that she hadn't heard back from her third kid's school yet.
Mumsnet users shared their thoughts on the situation in the comments section.
What school fines can parents receive?
THE main issue that can lead to parents receiving a fine is missing school.
Currently, it's the decision of the local council whether or not to issue a parent a fine for their child missing school.
However, from August this year, the fine for absences will up to the school to consider - when a child has missed 10 or more sessions for unauthorised reasons.
And the fine will be £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days - this is issued to EACH parent.
It's the first time the fine has been increased since 2012, and is in line with inflation.
If a parent receives a second fine for the same child within three years, this will automatically be charged at the higher rate of £160.
Fines will be capped at two fines within a three-year period.
After this limit has been reached, prosecution or a parenting order may be considered.
According to the official there are only five reasons your child should be absent from school if the school is open.
These are as follows:
- Your child is too ill to attend that day
- You have asked in advance and been given permission by the school for your child to be absent on that day due to exceptional circumstances
- Your child cannot attend school on that day because it is a day you are taking part in religious observance
- Your local authority is responsible for arranging your child’s transport to school and it is not available on that day or has not been provided yet
- You are a gypsy/traveller family with no fixed abode, and you are required to travel for work that day meaning your child cannot attend their usual school
"Make a complaint to the governors. This is hideous. I'm a governor. I would go ape s**t if this happened at my school," wrote one reader.
"July was medical so its irrelevant. This is three days, so below the fine threshold. It doesn't matter if its authorised or not essentially," pointed out another parent.
"They’re being unreasonable and I’d be considering complaining!" commented a third person.
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"Not just for how incorrect they are as yes, it is exceptional, but also being culturally insensitive!"
"I wouldn’t give a damn whether they wanted to authorise it or not to be quite honest, nor would I be paying any fine. This world is bloody ridiculous!" said another Mumsnet user.
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