FINES imposed on Keighley parents for removing their children from school without permission to go on holiday have rocketed by an astonishing 1,405%, we can reveal.

Penalty notices issued by Bradford Council soared from just 19 in the 2012-13 academic year to 286 in 2013-14.

And the number of people prosecuted for failing to ensure their child attended school regularly rose by over half, from 14 to 22.

The figures, obtained exclusively by the Keighley News under the Freedom of Information Act, relate to schools in postcode districts within our circulation area – BD13, 15, 16, 20, 21 and 22.

Michael Jameson, the council's strategic director of children's services, told us: "A young person's successful and well-rounded education is the result of a partnership between their school and their parents or carers.

"Regular attendance is a vital part of this partnership, as it gives young people the opportunity to achieve to their full potential. It also means that other children do not have their learning disrupted when absent classmates return to school and need to catch up.

"This is why we have established policies in place to deal with avoidable absence."

The fine for taking a child out of school without permission for holidays is £60, which doubles if not paid within 21 days. Parents still failing to pay are then taken to court, where they face a fine of up to £1,000.

The penalty notices are issued per parent per child, so for example two parents with two children would receive a total of four fines.

Bradford's education social work service, part of children’s services, issues the fines on behalf of schools.

Parents who failed to ensure their child attended school regularly were given fines totalling £7,523, including costs and victims surcharges, in the last academic year.

That compared to £3,710 in the previous year.

The council says that when a child’s attendance becomes a concern, initially school staff will try to resolve the issue with the family.

If this is unsuccessful, the case will be referred to the school’s education welfare officer or social worker, who will carry out a detailed assessment with the family and an agreed plan will be put in place. The plan is then reviewed regularly.

"Prosecution is used only in cases where parents fail to co-operate with the plan and the child’s attendance does not improve," said a council spokesman.

Coun Ralph Berry, the council's executive member for children and young people's services, told us: "Michael Gove when he was Education Secretary reduced the latitude for schools to condone people who remove their children for holidays, and a result of the school attendance rules being tightened, there has been a rush to start using the new rules.

"Ensuring your child attends school regularly is one of the basics that needs to be undertaken and everyone is being treated fairly."

Keighley MP Kris Hopkins said ensuring children got the best possible education had been his "absolute priority" since entering public life 16 years ago.

“I appreciate that parents and carers can find it difficult to have a holiday with their children during school holidays but it has been shown that youngsters who attend school regularly are four times more likely to achieve five or more good GCSEs than those who are persistently absent," he said.

"The government has empowered head teachers to make decisions about when pupils can be absent from school, and made clear it should only happen in exceptional circumstances.

“I believe this is the correct approach and parents need to understand that it is designed to be in the best interests of their children and, indeed, other children who should not have their own schooling disrupted.”