School absences soar as parents take children on holiday during term time to save money

Last year one in 25 children at school in England was taken out of school for a holiday – resulting in a fine for parents. More than 350,000 penalty notices were issued for unauthorised absences. That figure has more than trebled in the past six years.

Until 2013, head teachers in England were able to grant up to two weeks a year for family holidays in “special circumstances”. But the then-Education Secretary Michael Gove cracked down on parents taking children out of school during term-time. Since then, a fixed-penalty fine of £60 has been imposed for unauthorised absences.

A primary head teacher in Greater Manchester, Darren Morgan, told BBC Breakfast that the soaring number of absences for holidays “is a mindset issue”.

He said that the problem has worsened since the Covid pandemic – when children were off school and accessing remote learning,

“That’s the argument parents make. It’s worked for them previously, so they consider that they could do some remote learning while they’re off [on holiday].”

Do some parents see paying fines as worthwhile because of the enormous savings that can be made?

These are the key questions and answers.

How much do term-time and school holiday prices differ?

As parents of school-age children know to their considerable cost, taking a family trip abroad during the school holidays typically costs hundreds of pounds more.

From Bristol to Crete, consider a Tui package holiday departing on 20 July 2024 – the first day of the summer holidays for many schools. A week, staying at the Tasmania Village in Elounda, costs £2,548 for a family of four.

Travelling a week earlier (as families with children at private schools can do) saves £239.

At the other end of the summer holidays, the later you can travel, the better. From Manchester to Benidorm, a Jet2 package holiday for a family of four costs £2,028 if you depart on 24 August for a week staying in the Avenida apartments. One week later, the price for an identical trip falls by £372. But most Manchester schools return on 2 September 2024.

The most extreme differences are found on popular ski flights – especially on the benchmark route, London Gatwick to Geneva, gateway to the French Alps. These are the cheapest and most expensive return flights on easyJet departing on successive Saturdays in February for a week: