As it stands, the decision whether a school absence is authorised or not lies solely with the headteacher or designated attendance officer. If this person deems the absence as not "exceptional" enough, or marks an illness absence as unauthorised, there is no formal right of appeal for parents.

I'm proposing that the Government sets up an independent national appeals panel to allow parents to appeal a heads decision. This will prevent bias, ensure transparency, and put a stop to blanket policies within schools. Often, the nature of the absence means it should either be marked as authorised under code 'I', or authorised under code 'C' which is leave for exceptional circumstances. If a FPN is issued, parents are forced to risk court and a criminal conviction or accept liability by paying the FPN.