The number of parents taken to court in England because of their children skipping school rose sharply by 25 per cent last year, official figures show.
In 2014, 16,430 people were prosecuted for failing to ensure their children went to school, an increase of more than 3,000 - or 25 per cent - on 2013, according to figures from the Ministry of Justice.
The figures, obtained by the Press Association under a freedom of information request, found that more than three- quarters of parents were found guilty.
The rise follows a crackdown on children missing school, including new rules on term-time holidays, which were introduced two years ago.
Parents in UK can be issued with on-the-spot penalty notices of 60 pounds per child by schools, rising to 120 pounds if unpaid after three weeks, if their child has an unauthorised absence.
Failure to pay, or incurring two or more fines, can lead to parents being referred to the local authority's education welfare service, which has the power to take them to court.
Courts can issue maximum fines of 2,500 pounds or jail sentences of up to three months.
"Good attendance is absolutely critical to the education and future prospects of young people," the BBC quoted Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders as saying.
"Schools have rightly responded to this overwhelming evidence by taking a strong line in identifying when children are absent without a valid reason, particularly where there is persistent truancy," Trobe said.
The Department for Education said it was a myth that missing school, even for a short time, was harmless to a child's education.
"Our evidence shows missing the equivalent of just one week a year from school can mean a child is a quarter less likely to achieve good GCSE grades, having a lasting effect on their life chances," a spokesman said.
"Heads and teachers are now firmly back in charge of their classrooms, and most recent figures show we have made real progress - with 200,000 fewer pupils regularly missing school compared with five years ago.
