Kids taken from class for travel

Half of parents jump at cheaper trips in school terms, says survey

An airline survey shows up to half of parents have taken their children out of school to travel. The survey for Singapore Airlines shows up 50 per cent have taken their kids out of class to take advantage of better deals and smaller crowds — but 39 per cent say they refuse to do it.

Just on 700 people were surveyed and overall 41 per cent had taken children out of school to travel. This proportion increased to 50 per cent among those aged between 45 and 64.

Airfares and accommodation costs are typically higher during holidays because of demand. Education authorities say taking children out of school for holidays isn’t something it supports.

“We want all our students to do well, and there is an increasing body of evidence that shows time out of class results in lower achievement,” said David Wales, acting deputy secretary sector enablement and support for the Ministry of Education.

“Attending school is not just the law it’s also the key to setting our young people up for life.

“Getting a qualification is one of the basic building blocks for success and regular attendance at school makes all the difference,” he said.

However, the ministry recognised that parents and schools were best positioned to judge the likely impact of interm holidays on individual children.

Wales said regular attendance at school made a big difference to performance.

Flight Centre says while high demand during school holidays and peak times such as Easter and Christmas can push up prices, travel then doesn’t necessarily have to break the bank.

“It pays to research your options, talk to a travel expert and mostly importantly to book ahead, before the cheapest remaining economy fares and room types sell-out,” said Victoria Courtney, Flight Centre NZ general manager product.

Singapore Airlines’ survey found that nearly three quarters (70 per cent) of those surveyed stated that Kiwi children today had more opportunities to travel overseas or within New Zealand (62 per cent) and participate in a range of cultural events such as festivals (69 per cent), livemusic events (67 per cent), and sports events (62 per cent) than their parents did when they were growing up.

The survey was done by Perceptive on behalf of Singapore Airlines.

The survey engaged more than 700 New Zealanders in October last year, and data was weighted to the age, gender and region splits according to NZ Census statistics.