Since the ban on term-time holidays, councils are issuing 70% more fines to parents for children’s poor school attendance, according to new research.
The research of local authority data, conducted by the BBC, found 64,000 fines have been issued since the change in law last September.
According to the figures, parents in Lancashire received 3,106 fines (a 176% increase) while there was a 146% rise in West Sussex with 2,403 fines issued.
Some councils responding to the survey said they did not issue fines at all before the new legislation was introduced.
Speaking to the BBC, schools minister Nick Gibb said: ‘When the government came to office, the number of children missing school regularly was far too high.
‘As a result of the changes we have implemented, 130,000 fewer pupils are regularly missing lessons, which means 130,000 more pupils getting the chance of a good education that prepares them for life in modern Britain.
'We do understand the concerns of parents, however, and are introducing new rules to give all schools the power to choose their own term dates.’
Government figures released earlier this year showed a record number of truancy fines were issued in 2012/13, resulting in 52,370 penalty notices.
