Raising questions… taking holidays during term time

With the new academic year now underway, and my newsfeed filled with traditional back to school photos in place of pictures of far flung summer holiday destinations…

…I find myself once again discussing the great school holiday debate.

When it comes to taking children out of school during term time, opinions certainly seem to be divided.

On the one hand, people cite that with school terms amounting to approximately 36 weeks of the year, there is ample opportunity to enjoy travel adventures within school holiday periods. However, it is clear from just a  glance at the annual pricing structures of accommodation, flights, cruises etc, that there is a definite increase in travel prices during the school holidays and much better deals to be had during less peak travel periods.

Taking holidays outside of peak seasons certainly makes your travel money go further, but at what cost…?

Do holidays within term time cause disruption to a child’s education?

Does the opportunity to travel enrich a child’s experiences and their education  of the world around them?

Should family holidays only be taken when school is closed?

& what can be done by parents who are not able to take annual leave during school holidays, yet want to enjoy the benefits of a family holiday?

It is certainly a hot topic for debate, but what are the actual rules in place?

Schools used to be able to grant up to 10 days discretionary term-time holiday in ‘special circumstances’, meaning that it was fairly easy to extend a half term holiday by a few days or take the children out of school for a week or so, by gaining the consent of the headteacher. Nowadays though the rules are somewhat more stringent; headteachers at state schools within England are only able to grant term-time absence in ‘exceptional circumstances’, and are answerable to the Local Education Authority & guidelines on what constitutes exceptional circumstances for absence.

The Department for Education states that you are “unlikely” to receive permission for a family holiday and headteachers are obliged to report any unauthorised absences to the Local Education Authority. Ignoring a refusal to your absence request, or choosing to simply take the children out of school without informing the school, can result in fines and even court action.

The Local Education Authority can fine parents £60 for taking their child out of school without permission for 5 days or more; with this fine being per child and per absence. In some cases both parents will be charged the associated fines, effectively doubling these costs.

Some parents maintain that it is worth risking having to pay the fine, as they believe it is a small price to pay when compared to the variance in holiday costs and in some cases parents have refused to pay the fine, arguing their right to take their children out of school for holidays for various reasons.

In instances where the fine is unpaid, the fee jumps to £120 for failure to pay within 21 days.

After 28 days, you can legally be summoned to court under the Education Act 1996 with the risk of a guilty verdict resulting in a criminal record, a fine of up to £2,500, court costs or even a jail sentence of up to three months. You may be aware of a number of cases covered in the news over the years and the way in which changes in the law have impacted the outcome of such cases.

Essentially when it comes to the word of the law, Section 444 of the Education Act states that it is an offence to fail to make sure your child goes to school “regularly”.  However, until recently there was ambiguity as to the meaning of “regular” attendance. The Supreme Court has now ruled that “regular” attendance, means “in accordance with school rules”, which means that any ‘unauthorised absences’ may now be subject to action.

With independent surveys showing that 67% of parents with school-age children, believe in their right to take term-time holidays under certain conditions; ‘if booked in advance, for a strict number of days and not at a crucial time’ so as not to negatively impact the child…  and with many working parents unable to secure annual leave withing school holiday periods, and  parents with children at different schools often having to grapple with conflicting holiday dates, especially during half-term breaks…  it seems that the current laws are lacking flexibility by circumstance and there is a call for further discussion of the current policy.

Furthermore, there is continued pressure on the travel industry to amend pricing structures to offer better rates on school holiday travel, with many companies now responding by offering special ‘limited’ promotions during peak periods such as £1 flights, free child prices, reduced fares for families when booking in advance etc. Yet even the most discounted travel rates do not tackle the issue of some working parents being unable to secure annual leave for school holiday periods, or being restricted to specific holiday weeks each year.

I’d be interested to know, what is your school of thought when it comes to term-time holidays?

Katrina And The Waves ?