Government “in listening mode” over calls for abolition of fines for struggling pupils’ non-attendance at school
Anna Maxwell Martin, Maddie Roberts and Susan Liverman, in Downing Street to present the petition. Pic: Alamy.
Views come as 300,000-signature petition presented in Downing Street
The government may be willing to listen to hundreds of thousands of parents on the issue of fines for children with special educational needs and others who struggle to attend school, Education Uncovered heard yesterday.
Several sources, including a backbench MP who submitted an early day motion on the issue, believe that ministers are in listening mode as a petition with nearly 300,000 signatures was presented to Downing Street.
To continue reading this article…
You'll need to register with EDUCATION UNCOVERED. Registration is free and gives you access to one article per month. But please consider a subscription which will give you full access to all the news articles and analysis on the website. As a subscriber you'll also be able to comment on each news article. as well as support our journalism and extend the reach of the site.
By Warwick Mansell for EDUCATION UNCOVERED
Published: 21 October 2026
Comments
Submitting a comment is only available to subscribers.