Parents who want to go away on a break with their children in the school holidays face soaring prices. It has been worked out that package holiday prices can increase by an average of 18% during school holidays, with some destinations seeing price hikes of up to 28% per person, essentially meaning a significant price rise when compared to travelling outside of school breaks; in extreme cases, prices can even double during school holidays.
A campaign has started to get a change to the law to allow parents to take their children out of school to enjoy a break without being hit in the pocket too much. Parents can receive a fine from the council for taking their child on holiday during term time without consent from the school. The fines cost £80 if paid within 21 days and £160 if paid within 28 days and were raised by the last Conservative government.
A petion on the Parliament website has been backed by 73,530 people and the Department for Education has responded to it. Parent Natalie Elliot who is behind the petition, which can be viewed here, urged the government to: “Allow parents to take their children out of school for up to 10 days fine free.
“We’re seeking reform to the punitive policy for term time leave that disproportionately impacts families that are already under immense pressure and criminalises parents that we think are making choices in the best interests of their families. No family should face criminal convictions! The data that the DfE has published are statistics based on what we consider is a very weak correlation between school attendance and attainment, but they have failed entirely to consider causation.
“The SEND issues have also been ignored, and we believe some children are being discriminated against due to the strict guidelines that have been put in place. Many children with SEND do have a disability, and are therefore protected under the Equality Act. We are calling for reform of legislation on taking children out of school urgently.”
The Department for Education said it ‘sympathises’ with parents who struggle to get their child to attend school for a variety of different reasons. It said: “Absence is one of the biggest barriers to success for children and young people, and has soared post-pandemic. It is one of the greatest barriers to opportunity and supporting children to achieve. The most recent DfE data shows that any increase in absence is associated with dramatic reductions in attainment – children who attend school every day are twice as likely to achieve good GCSEs compared to those who miss two weeks of school a year. It is not just those who are absent who are impacted. A steady churn of absences disrupts the learning of every child disrupting teachers’ ability to plan and sequence learning. It also has a significant detrimental impact on the hard work of school staff to cultivate a sense of community and belonging.”
On the issue of holidays it said: “On holidays in particular, we understand that some parents wish to avoid peak periods. However, the school year is structured in such a way as to provide plenty of time throughout the year for holidays outside of term-time, and schools also have considerable flexibility to plan term dates themselves, and hold inset days and other occasional days at less busy times of the year.”
To read the lengthy response in full and read and support the petition click here.