Mum fined £800 for taking sons on holiday after she beat cancer
A MOTHER who took her children on holiday in term time to celebrate being cancer-free was fined almost £800 – because her circumstances were not ‘exceptional’.
Katie McDermott, 36, endured 18 weeks of chemotherapy and a double mastectomy after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2017.
Following months of upheaval, Mrs McDermott and her husband, Darren, planned a surprise holiday for their four children so they could enjoy quality family time after she received the all-clear in October 2018.
Friends and family held a fundraising event and donated money to help out, but price constraints meant they looked at holidays in term time.
Last October the couple wrote to Central Lancaster High School to ask if their two sons, Joseph, 14, and 12-year-old Oliver, could have six days off.
Mrs McDermott did not receive a response immediately and assumed she had the school’s blessing, so she booked the holiday to Tenerife.
However, she missed a letter sent home with Joseph on November 29 saying their reasons were not ‘exceptional’. Two days before they were due to travel, Mrs McDermott phoned the school to check and was told the holiday had not been granted – but it was too late to cancel.
Upon their return, Mrs McDermott was fined £788 by the local authority. The NHS worker said: ‘The kids have been so good throughout everything, it was really difficult but they kept going. They have always gone into school and done their work. ‘The school said they were model students. I really feel they deserved this trip after everything they’ve been through. The way we have been treated is really upsetting.’ The couple had no problem taking their five-year- old daughter Ava out of primary school, and Ella, four, was still at nursery. The fine was upheld on appeal at Lancaster Magistrates’ Court. Mr McDermott, a plumber, said: ‘We have never taken the kids out of school before. It’s not the fine I am bothered about, it’s about how we have been portrayed as not really caring, which is untrue. ‘There seems to be no consistency; we know of lots of people authorised The letter for the holidays.’ family missed, written by the school’s attendance officer, said: ‘Parents may request a leave of absence in term time ... in exceptional circumstances. The head teacher does not feel this request is exceptional. While sympathetic, we are unable to set a precedent.’ Nicola Hall, head teacher at Central Lancaster High School, said: ‘In accordance with (government) regulations, the school has a policy not to authorise term-time family holidays. ‘We hope all parents understand the limitations in granting leave.’