£700 school trip fee
TWO-THIRDS of parents think the ruling to stop them taking kids out of school for holidays is mean. Cash-strapped mums and dads say it costs an extra £686 if they are tied to school breaks – and there is even more hassle fighting colleagues for the time off. A study by flight booker Kiwi shows half of parents have taken kids out of school anyway. FESTIVAL season is coming – and though Glastonbury is the biggest, the UK has many other weekend bashes to offer. Here is our selection of the best of the rest, and accommodation ideas for those who do not love tents. THE DETAILS: Isle of White Festival, June 8-11, 3-day tickets £195, isleofwightfestival.com THE CROWD: There is a bit of something for everyone at one of the UK’s biggest and most long-standing festivals. This year’s line-up features Rod Stewart, Alison Moyet and breakthrough acts such as Yak, a noisy postpunk London trio. There are several stages to cater for varying styles, from classic rock to pop ballads. The festival has a great kid zone and family carnival-flavoured silliness at Cirque de la Quirk. THE PLACE TO STAY: Glamp in a really fancy yurt with en suite and terrace, in the gardens of the posh Priory Bay hotel, priorybay.co.uk. It costs from £200 per night, including breakfast. THE DETAILS: Download Festival, Donington Park, June 9-11, weekend tickets £180, downloadfestival.co.uk THE CROWD: The festival’s original title, Monsters of Rock, pretty much says it all. This motor-racing circuit just south of Derby becomes an amphitheatre for ear-splitting, foot-stomping legends. This year’s headliners include Aerosmith and System of a Down, and support bands Suicidal Tendencies and Machine Gun Kelly are not going to be singing lullabies. THE PLACE TO STAY: Three miles away is Donington Manor Hotel, a former 18th century coaching inn, doningtonmanorhotel.co.uk. Doubles from £59, excluding breakfast, but then you won’t be up early enough anyway. THE DETAILS: British Summer Time, Hyde Park London, June 30 – July 9, tickets for individual acts from £59.99, bst-hydepark.com THE CROWD: This upmarket London festival is stuffed with big names appearing over two summer weekends. Its central location limits its late-night licence which makes it easier for older rockers to take their families along. This year’s line-up runs from Phil Collins through Kings of Leon to Justin Bieber. Between the two weekends Hyde Park also hosts Open House, a free-entry festival of world food, other live acts and theatre. THE PLACE TO STAY: Safestay’s Holland Park hostel, safestay.com, is in a Jacobean mansion in a parkland setting. Dormitories from £15.30 a bed and private doubles from £85.50, excluding breakfast. THE DETAILS: Latitude, Henham Park, Suffolk, July 13-16, day tickets £77.50. See latitudefestival.com. THE CROWD: This event’s chilled, rural lakeside location near the old-fashioned seaside resort of Southwold makes this alt-rock and indie festival a firm family favourite. On the music side there’s the likes of Mumford & Sons and Fleet Foxes, but there’s a lot more going on in the worlds of art, theatre, cinema and selfexpression. There’s even yoga and chanting in the woods. THE PLACE TO STAY: Head to Aldeburgh’s beachside Brudenell hotel, brudenellhotel.co.uk which is more festival-friendly than strait-laced Southwold. Doubles £144, B&B. THE DETAILS: Womad, Charlton Park, Wiltshire, 44-day ticket £210, July 27-30, womad.co.uk. THET CROWD: All the world is on stage at this lo long-running celebration of global arts, where m music plays the lead role. South African male ch choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo and d dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah lead the way in a pa party that also features a major arts exhibition an and literary attractions with a world vision. For ch children the weekend festival offers arts, crafts an and dance workshops, along with the chance to pe perfect den-building skills and go on magical w woodland walks. THET PLACE TO STAY: A self-catering cottage su such as Tumblers in Tetbury can be a good o option. It sleeps four and costs from £277 for th three nights, see sykescottages.co.uk.