The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
School holiday ‘lottery’
DAD FRUSTRATED BY DIFFERING ATTITUDES
A DAD of two has hit out over differing school attitudes towards granting term-time holidays after he was given the go-ahead to take one of his children out of school while his other son’s holiday request has been refused.
Paul Hughes’ eldest son’s school refused to allow the child to take time off to go on a family holiday.
His youngest son who attends a different school in the area has been granted permission.
Paul, from South Shields, said he works away for months at a time and is unable to choose when he takes holiday from his job. He added that when he returns home he likes to make the most of time with his children because “family time is precious” and “they’re not kids for long”.
But now Paul and his wife face a £60 fine each, if they decide to go against the school decision and take their 15-year-old son on the holiday next month. He added that the Year 10 pupil at Mortimer Community College has over 90% attendance and does well in school.
Paul said: “Why should I be threatened with a fine for wanting to spend time with my kid? I can totally understand if I was taking them out of school for months or weeks at a time, but that’s not the case here.”
The overseas worker, who works in renewable energy building wind turbines, feels his experience highlights how allowing headteachers to decide which pupils can take time off can be unfair. Currently, the Government allows headteachers to decide how many days pupils can be away from school if leave is granted. Paul’s children, aged 10 and 15, are said to have around the same attendance record. He has suggested to Mortimer Community College that his son could complete any of the work he has missed at home.
Paul said: “I don’t believe in the Government giving the headteacher the book to decide who gets to spend time with their family. I understand if that child’s attendance was very poor and they were behind in education. But really the only time my kids are off is when they’re really ill.”
He said he had spoken to the attendance officer at Mortimer Community College who highlighted that Paul’s son had already been off for four days in October.
Paul, who used to serve in the Armed Forces, said this was for an educational trip to Normandy World War Two battlefield, ahead of Remembrance Day. And he explained that his son has been invited on a skiing trip and a trip to Morocco with the school. He said: “I don’t understand how we can’t take our own children on holiday, but it’s acceptable for me to pay a school for them to take my kids on holiday.”
A spokesperson for Mortimer Community College said: “We work hard with our families to achieve good attendance and to ensure all our students get the best from their education. We do understand the frustrations parents may have ... but the school follows the law and guidance issued by the Department of Education. It would be inappropriate to comment on individual cases.”