Bailiffs visit parents who took child out of school

Parents who took their teenage son out of school without permission for a five-day holiday ended up with a £1,200 bill and a visit from the bailiffs.

The couple were originally fined £120 over the 14-year-old’s unauthorised absence from Sweyne Park School, an academy in Rayleigh, Essex.

But after an unsuccessful appeal the unnamed couple were taken to court under the Education Act 1996, which allows education authorities to impose fines on parents who fail to send their children to school.

They were convicted in their absence and ordered to pay fines of £200 per parent plus costs and a victim’s surcharge.

The amount was left unpaid and court bailiffs arrived on the family’s doorstep threatening to remove items to settle the debt.

Read more: Bailiffs visit parents who took child out of school