Freedom of Information Request 179-16

Request

1. I would like to know how many of the following legal actions have been issued by Council since September 2015

> Parenting Order > an Education Supervision Order > a School Attendance Order > a fine (sometimes known as a ‘penalty notice’)

I would like the information shown per school.

2. Further to this information, I would like to know the following

> Total revenue generated by the fines that have been issued since > September 2015 Total number and out standing revenue of unpaid fines > Total number of legal actions against parents that take their child > out of school and have has resulted in the case being taken to court, > broken down by the following categories

> Parenting Order > an Education Supervision Order > a School Attendance Order > a fine (sometimes known as a ‘penalty notice’) and the school which they were generated from, and how many cases you have won/lost or referred to a higher court.

3. Finally I would like to to know how much Rotherham Council has spent on legal costs relating to the above legal actions.

Response

Question 1

Since September 2015 Rotherham MBC has not issued any legal actions relating to Parenting Orders, Education Supervision Orders, School Attendance Orders.

Fixed Penalty Notices have been issued to parents of children at the following schools due to an unauthorised holiday in term time:-

Anston Park Infants 2 Aston Hall J & I 1 Aughton Primary 10 Bramley Grange Primary 2 Bramley Sunnyside Infants 2 Brinsworth Manor Juniors 2 Brookfield Primary 5 Broom Valley Community School 2 1 Coleridge Primary 5 13 East Dene Primary 6 Ferham Primary 10 Flanderwell Primary 2 Greasbrough Primary 4 Herringthorpe Infants 10 Herringthorpe Juniors 2 High Greave Infant 1 High Greave Juniors 1 13 Maltby Lily Hall Academy 2 Maltby Manor Primary Academy 1 Maltby Redwood 1 Meadow View Primary 2 Monkwood Primary Academy 9 Oakwood High School 4 Rawmarsh Community School 5 Rawmarsh Thorogate J & I 1 Rockingham J & I 4 Sitwell Infants 6 St Anns J & I 3 St Joseph’s Dinnington 5 Swinton Community School 5 Swinton Fitzwilliam 4 Todwick Primary 2 Wath Central Primary 2 Wath Comprehensive 11 Wath Victoria Primary 2 Wentworth C of E Primary School 4 Wickersley School and Sports College 13 Wingfield Business College 1 15 Woodsetts Primary 1

Fixed Penalty Notices have been issued to parents of pupils at the following schools due to unauthorised absence during Year 10/11:-

Clifton Community School 11 Maltby Academy 5 Oakwood High School 4 Rawmarsh Community School 8 St Bernard’s Catholic High School 1 St Pius X Catholic High School 3 Swinton Community School 3 3 Wath Comprehensive 14 Wickersley School and Sports College 3 Winterhill School 3

Question 2

The total revenue generated by the fixed penalty notices issued since September 2015 is £15480.00.

The number of fixed penalty notices outstanding since September 2015 is 63.

The outstanding revenue of unpaid fines since September 2015 is £3780.00.

Since September 2015, 15 cases have been referred to the Magistrates Court for prosecution under section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996 following non-payment of the fixed penalty notice during the out of court period.

The 15 cases referred to above were from the following schools;

Wickersley School and Sports College Ferham Primary School Winterhill School Herringthorpe Infants Monkwood Primary Academy St Bernard’s Catholic High School Rockingham Junior and Infant School Wath Coleridge Primary School Aughton Primary School High Greave Infant and Junior School

None of our cases have been referred to a higher court and none of the cases referred to the Magistrates Court have been lost. Parents have either submitted a ‘guilty’ plea in court or have been proved guilty of the offence in their absence..

Question 3

Whilst we are able to provide information regarding the time spent on these legal actions and the cost in relation to the solicitor(s) dealing with these matters, because Rotherham MBC goes to court with a range of different kinds of prosecution cases at the same time we do not hold the information to respond to this question relating specifically to “how much Rotherham Council has spent on legal costs relating to the above legal actions.”