A “postcode lottery” in issuing absence fines remains despite government government guidance aimed at standardising the practice, new research has found. Government established a national framework in August 2024 for issuing enforcement of penalty notices (PNs) to address the unequal use of absence fines across different areas. Under the terms of the guidance, schools must consider £80 fines when a child misses 10 half-day sessions. This rises to £160 if paid after 21 days but before 28 days. At this point, headteachers and councils can prosecute parents. Councils handed out just under 493,000 penalty notices on the behalf of schools in 2024-25, up 1 per cent on 12 months before. But research by the Education Policy Institute released today found the enforcement of PNs is “geographically unequal”, suggesting that “local approaches to unauthorised absences and fines remain an important factor”. Geographical differences The EPI analysed the Department for Education’s parental responsibility measures data from 2024-25. It found that since the introduction of the framework, more LAs have issued fines – jumping from 22 LAs in …