ALMOST 2,000 fines were handed down to parents across the district who took children out of school in a year – up nearly four times on the previous 12 months.

Bradford Council said tougher rules, which parents are falling foul of, were working though as 11,000 fewer school days had been missed in comparative years. In the 2013-14 academic year, 1,946 fines were given – compared to 503 the previous year.

In September, the Keighley News revealed that the number of fines issued in the town had rocketed by an astonishing 1,405 per cent – from just 19 in the 2012-13 academic year to 286 in 2013-14.

Bradford’s education boss said after two years of fining parents, the message finally seemed to be getting through, but there could be no backing down and he had concerns about a “stubborn and resilient group” who chose to pay the fine and still go away on holiday.

The fines are initially £60 per child, per parent, but can rise if they are not paid on time or if challenged in the court. Families can be fined more than once for the same child.

Councillor Ralph Berry, the council’s portfolio holder for children and young people’s services, said the high figure was offset by a drop in the number of days off being taken by pupils.

“After a year or two of fining people, the attendance levels seem to be going up,” he said.

“It is a high figure and is still going up. But as a result of it, the number of days off are dropping.

“It doesn’t make me popular – I get people ringing up shouting at me.

“It is affecting our Ofsted ratings, but the most fundamental bit is it is damaging kids’ education."