Now 40% of those fined fail to pay and many avoid court because councils do not pursue legal action.
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The Prime Minister has announced that parents who don’t pay the £60 penalty for their child’s unauthorised absence will see the money retrieved through their benefits.
Mr Cameron said: “We are determined to tackle the harm truancy does to a child’s chances in life”.
“That is a very strong positive message to send out and I think on behalf of taxpayers who fund this child benefit, it is quite right to say to people: Yes, child benefit is your right but with that right come a few responsibilities”.
The new policy announced by David Cameron at the party’s conference in Manchester is an attempt to remedy the 52 million days lost through truancy a year in British schools.
He will also say that councils will be placed under a statutory duty to ensure penalties are paid, forcing them to take parents to court if there is no other way.
But Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, said docking benefits was not the answer.
A government spokesman said: “The planned changes will make it simpler for schools and local authorities to tackle parents who allow their child to be absent from school without permission”.
“It won’t actually solve the problem and in the middle of all of this is a child who’s not getting their entitlement to education”.
About three-quarters – 12,479 – of these were found guilty, and courts issued 9,214 parents with fines worth an average of £172.
This will force schools to officially respond to any formal request by groups of parents asking for more breakfast or after-school childcare.
Mr Cameron said: “We want to help hardworking parents with their child care plans so we will give families the right to request that their schools provide child care for a full working day, before and after school and during the school holidays”.
“All the evidence is that if children consistently miss school, they get a worse education, they get worse results and as a result they have less good prospects for the rest of their lives”, he said.
Parents also now face fines if they take their child out of school during term time for a holiday.
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“Ensuring children get the best start in life is at the heart of our plans”.
