Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many parents were prosecuted in relation to truancy by their children in (1) 2014, (2) 2015, and (3) 2016; and what measures they are proposing to take to reduce the levels of school absence.

Statistics on truancy for 2014 and 2015 (latest currently available) are published by the Ministry of Justice in the “Criminal justice statistics outcomes by offence data tool”, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015. Figures for 2016 are not yet available.

Criminal Justice Statistics outcome for truancy offences, 2014 to 2015

The Government has been clear that children’s attendance at school is non-negotiable. It is for schools to determine how they address poor attendance using the range of measures available to them, such as parenting contracts and parenting orders, or penalty notice for unauthorised absence. These measures are used to reinforce parents’ responsibilities and to support them in improving their child’s attendance at school.