Fines doled out to parents for school absences

SOLIHULL Council has brought successful prosecutions against parents for missing time at two schools in the north of the borough.
On Friday of last week, Birmingham Magistrates Courts ordered a father to pay a total of £600 in fines and costs after he allowed his child to take one week's unauthorised absence from Fordbridge Community Primary School.
Solihull Council has said that it is the first case of its kind brought by the local authority following a landmark legal battle last year.
In April, the Supreme Court ruled that a man from the Isle of Wight had acted unlawfully in allowing his daughter to take a week off during term-time.
The outcome of the long-running dispute set a precedent in dealing with similar wrangles elsewhere in the country.
In a separate case, also relating to North Solihull, a mother was sentenced after her child missed 36 sessions at Smith's Wood Primary Academy between May and October last year.
The defendant, who failed to attend court, was ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £834.