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Motherland star joins parents who face jail over anxious children's absences to hand a 290,000-signature petition to No 10

Motherland star joins parents who face jail over anxious children's absences to hand a 290,000-signature petition to No 10

Susan Liverman, from Corby, launched the No School Fines campaign in 2022 when panic attacks kept her son Arthur out of class. Co-founder Maddie Roberts, from Sandy, could not get her son Harleigh into school because of his anxiety. Both were threatened with fines while stuck on long waiting lists for SEND support. Actor Anna Maxwell Martin branded the system 'cruel and unnecessary'.

Absence fines rose from £60 to £80 in 2024, and a second fine costs £160.

Repeat absences can land parents in court facing £2,500 fines or jail.

Roberts said: 'You feel like you're failing as a parent.'

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