DURING the last month, four sets of parents have been found guilty by Aberystwyth magistrates of failing to ensure the regular attendance at school of their children.

The parents were subsequently given fines, to include costs, ranging from £680 to £115 with a conditional discharge.

Ceredigion County Council is fully committed to reducing absence from school without genuine reasons and is willing to use legal measures against parents, if all other attempts to resolve a problem of poor attendance have failed.

The council is committed to ensuring that all its pupils have access to the excellent educational provision in its schools and will act accordingly if children are denied their right to receive a full time education.

The Welsh Government has also recently given local authorities the right to issue parents with penalty notices without pursuing formal legal proceedings.

They required that local councils must draw up their own local Code of Conduct with regard to the implementation of penalty notices and establish procedures ready for its implementation during the 2014/15 academic year.

This is statutory duty and Ceredigion began to implement this legislation in January as the council adopted the Code of Conduct for Penalty Notices – Irregular Attendance at School / Alternative Education Provision.

In outline, the legislation enables the issuing of a penalty notice incurring a fine of £60, rising to £120 if paid after 28 days, but within 42 days, for unauthorised absence from school.

Persistent late arrivals at school may also incur a penalty notice.