Holiday fine increase not a deterrent, says parent

Schools and parents across the South East are preparing for an increase to the cost of fines for taking children out of school during term time.

The minimum fine will increase from £60 to £80 per parent from 19 August as part of a government drive to return attendance to pre-pandemic levels.

Local authorities currently have their own policies on when to issue fines, so the likelihood of parents having to pay depends on their school's location.

Jasmine Clarke, who lives in Brighton and has taken her twins out of school before for a holiday, said the increased fines were "nothing compared to the saving you make."

Ms Clarke had said her family would not be able to afford to go away if they travelled during the summer holidays.

She said she did not think the increase would be a deterrent, but was worried about larger fines if absences were persistent.

Parents who know their child is failing to attend school regularly, and fail to ensure the child does so, could be fined up to £2,500 by their local authority.

"That would probably be my deterrent, but I would possibly look at working holidays around inset days," said Ms Clarke.

She explained that she wanted the government to tackle price hikes during school holidays, rather than targeting "the middle, working-class families that work hard all year to have a week or two with their kids".

Labour MP for Chatham and Aylesford, and former teacher, Tristan Osborne said he thought the increase was the "correct measure".

In terms of children about to sit their GCSEs, he said: "Every minute in that classroom is progress, and every minute lost is a potential grade."

The MP explained that schools would try to work closely with parents before fines were issued as they were "the last thing that should be considered".

He said: "Ultimately, parents need to make a decision, education or a holiday."

Mr Osborne added: "I don't have any sympathy for the argument that it just happens to be £100 cheaper to fly the week before [term ends]."

Garry Ratcliffe, CEO of the Golden Thread Alliance in Kent, said he did not think the increase would impact school attendances.

"I think the significant difference between holiday costs verses the level of fine means that where families are choosing to take a holiday during term time, they will continue to do so."

The CEO added that it was not always possible for families to take holidays during term breaks.

"I do really sympathise with parents that are having to make those difficult decisions."

Kerry Oakley, headteacher of Carrington School in Redhill, Surrey, said she tried not to fine the parents at her school.

"Many of our parents can't afford to go on holiday in holiday time and we would rather they had a nice opportunity to go away with their family."

"If a child has got good attendance and they want to have a week's holiday during term time, we do currently allow that to happen, but they have to have good attendance and be up on their school work," she said.

The Department for Education said: "The strong foundations of learning are grounded in attendance in the classroom - so all children benefit from a rich curriculum that encourages a love of learning.”

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