'I was fined for taking my children on holiday during term time - the government has no right to punish me'

31 January 2025, 20:51 | Updated: 31 January 2025, 23:13

The Government has “no right” to fine parents for taking their children out of school without permission, influencer Whitney Ainscough has told LBC.

Social media star Ainscough is facing prosecution after jetting off on three holidays during term time with her partner and children Cora Bentley, 12, Addison Squires, seven, and Adley Christopher, three.

The influencer said she was “fuming” to be hit with a £60 fine after taking her kids out of school for five days.

It comes as the number of fines issued to parents in England for taking their children out of school without permission increased to almost half a million last year, figures have shown.

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The Department for Education (DfE) data showed there were 487,344 penalty notices issued for unauthorised absences in 2023-24, compared to 398,796 in 2022-23 - a 22% rise in a year.

In 2018-19 - the academic year before Covid-19 - there were 333,388 penalty notices issued to parents.

The vast majority (91%) of fines were for unauthorised family holidays, according to the DfE.

Speaking to LBC’s Tom Swarbrick, Ainscough said the Government has “no right” to prevent her from taking her children out of school.

“We’ve only been on two holidays in three years,” she said.

“I think it is really unfair, they are my kids, not the Government’s kids.

“I could leave them with family, but I don’t want them to miss out.

“If they're not my kids the Government can start paying for them then.”

In September, school absence fines in England rose from £60 to £80, and a parent who receives a second fine for the same child within a three-year period will now receive a £160 fine.

The former Conservative government announced the hike in fines in February last year as part of a drive to boost school attendance since the pandemic.

The latest data has shown that 443,322 penalty notices were issued for unauthorised family holidays in the 2023-24 academic year, compared to 356,181 in 2022-23 - a 24% rise in a year.

The figure has almost doubled since 2017-18 when there were 222,904 fines for unauthorised holidays.

Overall, 1,086 penalty notices were issued for being late and the remainder were for other reasons.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "We need a national effort to tackle the epidemic of school absence so we can give children the best start in life - with government, schools and parents all playing their part.

"This Government will do everything in its power to tackle the problem but behaviour like term-time holidays cannot be changed with support alone - which is why fines have a vital place in our system, so everyone is held accountable for ensuring our children are in school.

"When children miss school unnecessarily, all children suffer, as teachers' attention is diverted to helping them catch back up, and we will not apologise for ensuring every child is in school accessing high and rising standards so they can achieve and thrive."