Parents given huge fine for going on ‘quieter’ term-time holiday told to pay even more after losing battle

23 comments

1. What? Who fines them? The school? : /

2. Yes the schools fine them. One set of parents got fined £3k last year at my son’s school because the child’s attendance was that bad. They really take attendance seriously.

3. A cynical person might think that they are trying to hide behind their kid’s autism diagnosis for sympathy.

4. I find it wild the number of people who seem to think that they have a legal right to take their kid on holiday. *Should* there be such a right? That could certainly be up for discussion, but the legal truth is that a child’s right to education is enshrined in law. Their holiday is not.

5. Send the kids to school with the wrong colour hair or even just the wrong type of shoes then tell them how every school day is important.

6. Even with the fine its still probably cheaper than if they went during the school holidays.

   I wonder if this is the first time they have done it or if the school is particularly strict on this kind of things. We did it once a few years ago for a week towards the end of term. We let the school know in advance and they said it would be recorded as an unauthorised absence and we heard nothing more about it.

7. This is ridiculous, no worries about overcrowded class rooms, teachers going on holidays, massive bullying yet take your kid out of school for a week and get a huge fine. Crazy, as if a week makes any difference long term for a child’s future

8. Fined £480, increased to £690

9. > Tammy and Daniel Lambert were issued a £480 fine after taking their four children to Benalmadena in April last year.
   >
   > …were initially fined £60 per parent, per child, for the break.

   Yawn, just price this in when booking the holiday.

10. Yet during Covid many of these same teachers threw the kids education in the bin and hid under the bed for two years.

    It’ll never stop me for going on holiday.

11. What is that money spent on? Management bonuses?

12. Good. Keep them going in the actual school holidays, so they’re not there when I go!

    In all seriousness, there is an argument for allowing limited term time absences for some kids (those whose attendance and performance is excellent otherwise) but it should be agreed in advance.

13. Back in the eighties (probably when I was 13ish) my mum and dad took us on holiday for two weeks after the eight week holiday. This was because my dad was a oolice sergeant so had to work the normal holidays. No big deal. I was not doing big exams and myself and my younger brother who was at primary just did the extra work we missed when we came back. Did us no harm at all. Not everyone can get time off when schools out. I agree to fines for kids who are never at school with no illness etc but every case should be dealt with accordingly.

14. What were the parents meant to do here. My son is autistic and agree why they did this. Busy places can over stimulate the child. This country really does not care for children with special needs. I understand why the parents wanted to fight this.

15. If you taking your kids out of schools for weeks at a time social services should be involved

    Take the kids away after repeat offences

    It is a form of child abuse. You are restricting them from a fundamental right of education.

16. Why didn’t they just call in sick or pretend grandma is dying? Everyone knows school is just day care for kids to socialise and anything important is taught outside of classrooms but you have to play the game and let teachers believe they are inspirational demigods.

17. It ridiculous.

    A child going to get more life experience/ happy moments going to Orlando Florida than spending a week learning something they never gonna forget.

    If it near GCSEs etc then okay there argument but they should give flexibility for children who young.

18. Way more cultural enrichment from going abroad than school. People act like the school curriculum and quality of teachers is perfect, it’s not at all! Why not give 2 weeks grace a year but create an assignment children can do while away to show what they learned about another place or culture? Can easily incorporate all core subjects into the work. Give out a fine if the work hasn’t been done or if it’s over 2 weeks off a year.

    All this zero tolerance fining does is stop the poorest from any opportunity for a holiday, I’ve known friends with teenage children that have never been on a plane or a holiday because it’s not affordable in term time. 

    This is a pet peeve of mine and im years from needing to deal with it. 

19. Education in England is wank. Having been through School, College and University, I can honestly say missing a week, 10 days or 14 days isn’t going to change anything in the grand scheme of things. Utterly ridiculous to think that a break that short has any long-term ramifications at all.
    A week in secondary school, what do you miss? Some shite rugby lessons in PE when most kids just want to play football anyway. Some reading in English? Maybe you miss one of the good science lessons where your teacher gets some chemicals out the cupboard, but probably not. Probably just some slips of paper handed out (take one, pass it on) with some questions to answer you find in a book.
    What a joke.

20. when did we as a society accept that our schools could FINE their pupils’ parents for taking extra time off around holidays? it’s such a ridiculous overstep…there should be some leeway

21. Volunteered in school for STEM clubs for years and it’s sad to see the quality of education decline. Curriculums are so watered down – are you even missing much if you taken them out for a year? And why are summer holidays so long? With rising childcare costs and expense of kids activities during holidays it’s extortionate. Pretty much every parent is struggling even if they are on a good wage.
    You’re better off allowing kids annual leave allowance of 1 week a year but only grant them leave if they meet certain criteria – good attendance, behaviour etc. a child would then work for it and parents would be incentivised too and give at least 3 months notice if it’s a holiday.

    Have shorter summer holidays and fit more education into a term. Education need complete overhaul and reform

22. It’s funny as over the years it’s got a lot stricter for parents if your child isn’t in school or you take then on holiday.

    At the same time schools also now shut a lot more of the time at the slightest sign of a snowflake or we lose days due to strike action or teacher training days etc

23. I think the problem with this rule is that there are some absolutely dickhead parents that don’t believe in sending their kids to school, which this targets. However, you can’t measure this on an individual basis. It’s just not feasible and so they have this blanket rule. I think all children should be allowed one holiday in turn time each year because the holiday prices in school holidays are absolutely ridiculous.

    Sure, holidays are a luxury. However, the quality of life in this country is going down the pan and so I think it’s fair to try and give everybody this luxury of the holiday.

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