Council chiefs in York have questioned the Government's move to increase fines for parents of absent school children.

Ahead of the upcoming school year, the Government confirmed that the fine for school absences across the country will be £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days. Both fines have risen by £20.

Parents that are prosecuted and attend court because their children haven’t been attending school could get a fine of up to £2,500. 

The increase, which is in line with inflation, is the first of its kind since 2012.

As was the case before, the enforcement of the fines is the responsibility of local councils and schools.

Cllr Bob Webb (Image: Newsquest)

But City of York Council's executive member for education, Cllr Bob Webb, said higher fines were unlikely to make an impact on pupil rates of absence.

He said: "I welcome the Government review of the national curriculum and forming of a child poverty taskforce, both of which will take a broader look at the reasons why some students are absent from school.

"The reasons are often less straight-forward than families simply trying to avoid sky-high prices by going on holiday in term time.

"Higher fines are unlikely to make much of an impact on rates of absence, and we need a deeper understanding of the multiple and complex reasons to develop responses that turn the tide on increasing rates of school absenteeism."

It was - however - questioned by opposing politicians in the city.

Cllr Andrew Waller (Image: Supplied)

Cllr Andrew Waller, York Lib Dem spokesperson for children, young people and education, said: "Attendance at school is very important to help pupils reach their full potential later in life. 

"However many families - particularly those on low wages - face dilemmas caused by huge differences in the cost of holidays in and out of term time. 

"There needs to be a coordinated effort by Government to put pressure on travel companies to address this issue, particularly whilst Ofsted maintains pressure on schools on their attendance figures."

The council said it will be enforcing the new rules. Corporate director of children and education, Martin Kelly, said: "We follow Government guidance around pupil absences to provide a proportionate response to requests for term-time holidays on a case-by-case basis.

"We will continue to support headteachers when they use this guidance to take difficult decisions not to approve term-time holiday absences.

"We recognise that school staff are best-placed to make these decisions, given that they have a good understanding of the individual circumstances in each case and the likely impact of term-time absence."