Parents warned over bigger fines for holidays in the ‘wrong week’ - but many don't care

Parents are being warned they face fines of £80 per child if they take them out of school for a cheaper holiday during term time.

However, increasing numbers of parents say they don't care about the fines. And it seems the last week of the summer term is when hundreds of thousands of them ignore the rules.

Official figures show that more pupils in England were off school without permission in the last week of the summer term than they were at any other point in the academic year. Around 450,000 pupils - about five per cent of pupils in England - were off without permission in the week ending July 19.

The Government is trying to crack down on parents taking their children out of school to go on holiday. The fines parents face have been increased from £60 to £80 per child.

The fines can be doubled if not paid within 28 days, or if the rules are breached again within three years. And a third fine in a three-year period can result in prosecution.

This is not an empty threat. During the 2022-23 academic year, around 400,000 penalty notices were issued to parents in England for unauthorised school absences.

But some parents say even this won't stop them, reports the BBC.  Megan and Michael Hall were fined for taking their two children on a ski holiday back in March. Now, her children will be missing another 10 days of school for a two-week holiday later this month.

Megan told the BBC the new fines were a "worry" - but will not stop them from having family holidays. She and her husband run a pub and bed and breakfast in Northumberland, so going away during their busy summer season would hit their business.

And she says she will continue taking holidays because " that's what family is about," said Megan. She argues that the alternative is "to not have family time" or to "teach your kids to lie, saying they are sick"- something she's not comfortable with.

Rachel Kelly and her partner agree with Megan. They took their children out of primary school in May - and now they waiting to be fined. She told the BBC it was a "risk that we’re willing to take".

She said saving money on a holiday to help pay the household bills "seems to be the sensible option”. Rachel said she doesn't want to take her children out of school during term time - but argues that if it's "going to save you thousands of pounds then that’s the best alternative".

However, one family will now be sticking to the rules - and they are fuming about. Dee and Lee Morgan have been fined six times in recent years - and the threat of prosecution means they'll now now stick to the school holidays for family vacations.

However, Dee told the BBC: was "angry" that "we’re having to do this". The nurse says that, because of the cost of living crisis, "life is hard enough" - and " everybody deserves a holiday".   

She claims that many families like hers are "being victimised… and suggested her rights were being ignored. She said that

"everyone has rights" and that "I have rights and they’re my children" and it's her right to take them on holiday.

However, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said that "persistent absenteeism" is "a big problem". Speaking at a school on Monday, she said: "It's important that all of us pull together [and] make sure children are here in school."

Education experts say poor school attendance can hit academic achievement and social development. And studies suggest missing days at school will have a bigger impact on some children than others. For example, tests and exam results are showing the pandemic led to a widened gap between children from the highest and lowest-income families.