Oxfordshire prosecutes 60 parents for poor school attendance

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 26 Oct, 06:01 · Archive

Oxfordshire County Council prosecuted 60 parents and guardians over three years for failing to ensure children regularly attended school.

Oxfordshire County Council has revealed that 60 parents and guardians were prosecuted over the last three years for failing to ensure their children regularly attended school. The total was disclosed following a Freedom of Information request, with all 60 cases resulting in proceedings before the magistrates' court.

The figure provides insight into how councils are using criminal proceedings to tackle poor school attendance. Nationally, local authorities employ a range of measures to address persistent absence, including penalty notices, parenting orders and court action. In the 2023/24 academic year, nearly 487,300 penalty notices were issued to parents across England for unauthorised absence, representing a 22 per cent increase on the previous year.

Compared with some larger county authorities, Oxfordshire's prosecution figure appears relatively modest. Lincolnshire County Council recorded 183 prosecutions for school attendance offences during the 2024/25 academic year, whilst Essex County Council reported more than 1,000 prosecution outcomes linked to school non-attendance in 2024/25. Calderdale undertook 583 prosecutions for non-attendance during the 2025/26 academic year, a 36 per cent increase on the previous year.

How it is being reported

• Number of parents and guardians prosecuted for school attendance revealedParents and guardians in Oxfordshire were prosecuted 60 times over the last three years for failing to ensure their children regularly attended school, according to newly released figures from the county council.Oxford Mail · 26 Oct, 05:00
• Number of parents and guardians prosecuted for school attendance revealedParents and guardians in Oxfordshire were prosecuted 60 times over the last three years for failing to ensure their children regularly attended school, according to newly released figures from the county council.Oxfordshire Guardian · 26 Oct, 05:00

In this story: Oxfordshire County Council · Department for Education · Oxfordshire · Lincolnshire County Council · Essex County Council · Calderdale

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem