Watford parent fined over seven-year-old's school attendance

The 41-year-old appeared in St Albans Magistrates’ Court yesterday (November 6) and admitted to being the parent of a child of compulsory school age, registered at a school, who failed to attend regularly.

During the court appearance they were fined £146 as well as being ordered to pay a £58 victim services surcharge and £125 in costs. The total must be paid by December 4, this year.

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According to court documents, the defendant's guilty plea was taken into account when the sentence was imposed.

Their seven-year-old apparently failed to attend the primary school regularly between November 19, 2022, and January 20, 2023.

The seven year old failed to attend a Watford primary school regularly. (Image: PA) Hertfordshire County Council, which brought the case to court, has said it works closely with schools to help them manage absences because it is important that children do not miss school unnecessarily.

“Our priority is to work with schools, children and their families to understand what the issues are and how we can overcome them to improve a child’s attendance at school,” a spokesperson said.

“However, where there are persistent problems, we sometimes have to report this to the courts so that magistrates can decide whether other action, such as a fine, would be appropriate.”