Children to face fines for being late to school 10 times

CREDIT: This story was first seen in the Independent
Parents could pay up to £120 for their children’s bad punctuality, the Independent reports.
Parents may have to face paying up to £120 if their children are consistently late for school.
The Staffordshire County Council has recently outlined new guidelines for schools in Staffordshire in regard to student lateness.
While it is at the headteachers’ discretion to follow the rules, persistently arriving late for school could cost pupils and their parents dearly.
Children used to face consequences if they were registered as late 20 times.
However, this has now been reduced to a mere 10 recorded incidents of tardiness.
The penalty for persistently turning up to school late is £60 if paid within 21 days, which will then increase to £120 if paid within 28 days.
Philip White, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet support member for learning and employability explained why the council felt the need to enforce these measures.
“The Supreme Court judgement is very clear that children should go to school every day, because absence affects their performance and is disruptive for the rest of the class while they’re catching up,” White told The Independent.
“Our guidance reflects this and ensures parents know where they stand, but it’s important to remember the general position remains unchanged: head teachers have the discretion to decide whether the reason for absence is exception or not and if unauthorised by the Head the school reports this to the county council which then processes the penalty notice.”
The Staffordshire County Council consulted with more than 300 headteachers about the proposed new regulations and then sent out a letter to all schools in the area so that parents could be informed.

However, many parents are not too pleased about the prospect of having to pay up for a slightly later start to the morning.
One Facebook user angrily commented: “That’s fine when my girls’ school dare strikes I’ll be dishing the hypocrites out a £2000 fine per day for disrupting her education, fair price to me…”
If parents refuse to pay the fines, they could face prosecution.
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