Parents have been threatened with fines of hundreds of pounds if their children miss too much school in a drastic move by a head teacher to improve GCSE results.
Fiona Pierson, principal of Colchester Academy in Essex, warned parents that they would be expected to make a “financial contribution” towards the cost of their child’s exam fees if they were absent for more than 20 days without reason. If they do not pay, the school may refuse to allow their child to enter the exam.
With average exam entry fees at about £65 per subject, a parent whose child’s attendance has fallen below the threshold may face a bill of £585 if they sit nine separate GCSEs.
It is the first example of a school threatening to withdraw pupils from exams or force parents to pay GCSE entry fees if their children are persistently absent.
Families whose children were unable to attend school for medical reasons or other exceptional circumstances will not have to pay the exam fees, provided that they offer evidence. All other parents would be liable to pay if their child’s attendance rate dropped below 90 per cent, equivalent to 20 days off.
According to the most recent figures published by the Department for Education, the school’s overall attendance rate is 94.1 per cent, slightly below the national average of 94.7 per cent.
Ms Pierson’s self-imposed deadline for improved attendance passed this month and she said that there had been an improvement of 1.1 percentage points, although some families still would be liable for the payments.
The academy was judged to require improvement in 2015, but Ofsted said that attendance had improved.