Submitted by Stephanie Hawker on Thursday 12th February 2026
Published on Friday 20th March 2026
Current status: Open
Open until: Sunday 20th September 2026
Current Signatures: 3,574
(count is updated approximately hourly)
Relevant Departments
Tagged with
Armed Forces ~ arms ~ Child ~ Compass ~ Extraordinary ~ Face ~ Families ~ FINES ~ Forced ~ Guaranteed ~ month ~ Parent ~ relationship ~ remain ~ Return ~ sacrifice ~ Safety ~ school attendance ~ Spending ~ weeks ~ Wellbeing
Exempt all military families from school fines — let them be with family.
We call on the government to exempt military families from school attendance fines. Military parents often live away from home and are deployed for weeks or months at a time. These families make extraordinary sacrifices. They deserve flexibility and compassion when spending precious time together.
We believe that it is unjust that armed forces members sacrifice their safety and family life, often living apart even outside deployment, yet face restrictions on time together when they return. A strong relationship with a serving parent is vital for a child’s wellbeing. “Exceptional circumstances” are not guaranteed and remain at a headteacher’s discretion. A government that relies on the commitment and sacrifice of its armed forces should not then dictate when those same families are permitted to reunite.
If you want to sign this petition (as opposed to merely discuss it), you need to do that on the government's e-Petitions website.
216.73.217.127 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:16:47 +0100