A primary school in Wales has announced plans to fine parents up to £120 if their child is repeatedly late for school.
Penygarn Community Primary School in Torfaen revealed the new measure in a letter from head teacher Lindsay Smith, which was later made public.
According to the letter, the school will begin issuing fixed penalty notices in response to ongoing attendance issues. The penalties, administered by the local authority, will amount to £120 but can be reduced to £60 if paid within 28 days. Parents who fail to pay could face prosecution in court.
Mrs Smith explained that poor attendance includes both absence and persistent lateness. She stated that fixed penalty notices could be issued if a child is late for morning or afternoon registration on five school days, or ten sessions in total.
The fines may also apply if a child misses at least five school days during a term due to unauthorised absences, holidays taken during term time, or delayed returns from trips.
Andrew Powles, director of education for Torfaen Council, said that the use of fixed penalty notices is an option available to all schools but it is up to each governing body whether to adopt it.
He explained: “Individual governing bodies decide whether to issue fixed penalty notices for unauthorised absences and the local authority supports the implementation of this policy. Schools have a legal duty to accurately record the attendance of learners and marking a pupil who is significantly late as absent is in line with Welsh Government guidance.”
Mr Powles added that habitual lateness can affect not only the student but also the entire class. “Being routinely late to school or lessons is disruptive for the child and others in their class,” he said. “Pupils or families who struggle to attend school on time should speak to their class or year group teacher to discuss what support is available.”
Torfaen has seen a notable improvement in school attendance over recent years. Once one of the worst-performing boroughs in Wales for attendance, it is now ranked sixth-best. Data from the end of the last academic term in May 2025 showed that primary school attendance across the borough ranged from 91.1% to 95.7%, with an overall rate of 93.1%. While this marks an increase compared to the previous four years, it remains below the 2019–2020 pre-pandemic level of 94.8%.
Secondary school attendance has also improved, ranging from 85.7% to 93.9%, with an overall rate of 89.1%. This figure has risen steadily over the past four years but remains lower than the 93.9% recorded before the pandemic.
The percentage of persistently absent pupils – those attending less than 90% of the time – has also declined. In Torfaen’s primary schools, the rate fell from 23.5% in April 2024 to 20.4% this year, while in secondary schools it dropped from 33.9% to 30.7%.
Andy Rothwell, head of learning and achievement for Torfaen Council, said that while attendance levels continue to rise, there is still work to be done. “We still continue to see an improvement in overall attendance in Torfaen and that is really pleasing but we’re still not where we were pre-pandemic,” he said.
Education officials in the borough remain optimistic, suggesting that attendance levels could return to pre-pandemic standards within the next five to seven years.
