NOW END SCHOOL HOLIDAY RIP-OFFS
As Supreme Court rules children CAN’T miss lessons for family breaks...
TRAVEL companies must stop ripping off families for breaks during school holidays following a landmark Supreme Court ruling, critics demanded last night.
Parents, heads and politicians called on ministers to ‘cap’ the price of summer getaways, which can rise by more than £1,000 at the end of term. Firms were accused of ‘hold-
ing law-abiding parents to ransom’ after a father yesterday lost his fight against a £60 fine for an unauthorised term-time trip.
The ruling means families will face a fine or prosecution if pupils take even half a day off without permission. Parents now have little choice but to book within school holidays, leaving them
‘Exploiting parents’
at the mercy of travel companies charging sky-high prices. Lib Dem education spokesman John Pugh said ‘greedy’ firms must ‘stop exploiting hardworking parents’.
‘Travel companies are holding law-abiding parents to ransom,’ he said. ‘They should be forced to cap the cost of trips in school holidays so they are not so completely out of step with holidays a week earlier or a week later. Travel companies should not be allowed to profiteer off the back of hardworking parents.’
Labour’s shadow education secretary Angela Rayner added: ‘Too many parents who play by the rules and want to do what’s best for their kids end up being ripped off by a big business profiting from parents trying to do what’s right. It’s time the Government made clear that it is unacceptable to exploit hardworking families.’
Tory MP Steve Double said: ‘It should be up to parents to decide when to take their children on holiday, in conjunction with the school. This policy is unfair to … many hardworking families who are unable to afford the very high costs during the school holidays.’ Russell Hobby, of the National Asso- ciation of Head Teachers, also called for ministers to intervene, saying: ‘If the cost increases were not so dramatic, parents would not feel the need to seek cheaper deals in term time.’
The Supreme Court ruled against Jon Platt, 46, from the Isle of Wight, who won earlier legal battles over a seven-day trip to Disney World in Florida, in April 2015.
He had argued that despite missing lessons for the holiday, his daughter had regularly attended school for the rest of the year. But the Supreme Court upheld an appeal by Isle of Wight education chiefs and the Government against a High Court hearing last year. At issue was the meaning of the words ‘fails to attend regularly’ at school in the 1996 Education Act.
The judges yesterday declared ‘regularly’ did not mean ‘evenly spaced’ or ‘sufficiently often’ but instead ‘in accordance with the rules prescribed by the school’. There are exceptions, which include religious holidays and sickness. But the decision effectively means parents should not take their child out of lessons at all without permission.
After the ruling, Mr Platt warned that every unauthorised absence in future, ‘including being a minute late to school’, would now be deemed a criminal offence.
Nearly 150,000 families in England were issued penalties for taking children out of school without permission during term time in the last school year – raking in a total of almost £9million for councils, according to the Independent and based on data from 145 local authorities.
Yesterday’s judgment came as research showed families are paying more than £1,000 extra for a break during the school holidays than in term time.
An analysis by foreign currency experts FairFX found the average price for a package holiday for a family of four goes up by £1,310 if they travel in August, compared with travelling in June – an increase of around 55 per cent. The figures are based on an analysis of the cost of 104 holidays.
FairFX’s Ian Strafford-Taylor said: ‘Families accept they’re likely to pay more within peak holiday times but some of the price hikes we’re seeing are outrageous and bring the industry into disrepute.’ Vix Lowthion, Green Party education spokesman, added: ‘This Government should be enacting legislation against holiday companies who ramp up prices in school holidays well beyond the reach of ordinary families.
‘They should be seriously looking at regional, flexible term times to spread holidays across a wider variety of weeks.’
Peter Higgins, of campaign group Holiday Price Increase, said the level at which prices were being raised outside term time was ‘a blatant rip-off’.
But a spokesman for trade body Airlines UK said: ‘Demand is high during school holidays which can lead to higher prices to popular destinations … great deals are available if you book early or can be flexible on destination and date of travel.’
A spokesman for travel association ABTA added: ‘Allowing schools to set their own holiday dates is a good first step to alleviating the sharp peaks in pricing.’
A Department for Education spokesman welcomed the Supreme Court ruling, adding: ‘We will examine the judgment carefully and will update schools and local authorities as soon as possible.’