West Midlands parents fined for child's unauthorised funeral absence

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 14 Nov, 08:38 · Archive

A Birmingham couple have been fined after their child missed two weeks of schooling to attend a grandfather's funeral in Pakistan. The man and woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, each pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates Court to being the parent of a child of compulsory school age who failed to attend school regularly.

The girl missed 22 sessions, equivalent to 11 days, between January 6 and January 21 this year. She had flown out from Britain during the Christmas holidays, with the subsequent absence in the new year not authorised by the school.

Magistrates heard that the girl's grandfather had died and the funeral had taken place in Pakistan. Prosecutors said that had the travel arrangements been made during term time, the school would have considered granting five days' leave of absence.

The chair of the bench told the couple that it is important children attend school as a matter of law. The magistrates said they understood the circumstances and that the parents needed to travel abroad, but proceeded with the fine.

Each parent was fined £40 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £16 and prosecution costs of £85, totalling £141 per person. The court also heard that the parents had previously received penalty notices for non-school attendance in 2025, which had been paid.

How it is being reported

• Parents of Birmingham child who missed two weeks of schooling to attend overseas funeral finedThe parents had failed to ensure their child attended school for two weeks earlier this yearBirminghamLive · 14 Nov, 05:30
• West Midlands couple whose child missed schooling whilst attending funeral are finedMagistrates heard how the girl’s grandfather had died and the funeral had taken place in Pakistan.Birmingham World · 14 Nov, 02:00
• West Midlands couple whose child missed schooling whilst attending funeral are finedMagistrates heard how the girl’s grandfather had died and the funeral had taken place in Pakistan.Express & Star · 14 Nov, 02:00

In this story: Birmingham · Pakistan · Birmingham Magistrates Court

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 · Corrections log