The story of a Solihull mother threatening an academy with legal action over the treatment of her child with special needs is a sobering reminder that many similar stories may go unnoticed.
It is also unsurprising that fines and punishments for unauthorised absences from schools hit these parents the hardest, with many choosing to keep their children at home to protect them.
A Coventry University research project argues the government and local authorities need to better understand the reasons for school absence.
In turn, they can provide a fairer system for punishing parents of genuine truants, without targeting those with ‘hidden disabilities’.
