One fifth of parents ‘would pay term-time holiday fine’

Nearly one fifth of parents would pay a proposed £100 fine to take their children on holiday during term time rather than pay extra to travel in high season, according to a poll. A ruling to take effect on February 27 will give head teachers the power to fine parents who take their children out of school without permission but some 18 per cent of respondents to a Teletext survey said they would ignore any such ruling. If these views were reflected across the country, parents in England would be fined some £68 million in one year alone. Under current rules, pupils are allowed to take up to 10 days off school for holidays, as long as they have permission from the head teacher, but the survey reportedly showed that one fifth of parents are already ignoring the regulation. Some 40% of respondents to the poll said it would be cheaper to pay the fine and travel off-season, rather than travel during peak times, while nearly three quarters said peak-period prices were too expensive. Significantly, 40% say a family holiday is “just as important as a week or two at school”, and 43% say going on holiday “provides a more enriching experience than the classroom”. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad