Petition
Allow up to 10 days term-time absence without fines – protect family rights.
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
Allow parents to take up to 10 days of term-time absence per school year without penalty notices. Ensure consistent rules across all school types and review the system’s compliance with Articles 8 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The current system unfairly penalises state school families, while parents of independent school pupils avoid fines. This creates a two-tier system and may breach ECHR rights to family life (Article 8) and non-discrimination (Article 14). Family time matters, and responsible parents should not be punished. The rules must be fair, lawful, and equally applied to all.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
You may wish to sign this petition which calls for a similar action: Stop fines for taking children out of school on holiday
Timeline
| 25 Jul 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 5 Aug 2025 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
5 Aug 2025
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 27 Jul 2026.