CLASS HALF EMPTY
Minister blames holiday firm price hikes for Scotland’s vanishing pupils
NEARLY 100,000 pupils missed the last week of summer term to beat holiday price hikes.
Education Secretary John Swinney said he had “great sympathy with parents” and insisted education must come first. He said the holiday pricing system was “broken”.
NEARLY 100,000 Scots pupils missed school in the last week of term as parents bid to beat summer holiday price hikes.
We can reveal that more than half of pupils in some secondary schools were missing in the run- up to the end of term this year.
Last night, John Swinney attacked travel firms for hitting parents with massive price rises during school holidays.
The education secretary branded the holiday market “broken” after our investigation revealed Scotland’s classrooms’ empty week before the last bell of term.
Writing for The Sunday Post, Mr Swinney said: “As education secretary, I have to say that kids’ schooling must come first. That doesn’t stop me asking why parents are being forced to choose between school and a good holiday break.”
He continued: “We can – and should – ask hard questions of the holiday firms.”
As children finish their first days back after the six- week break, figures obtained from Scotland’s local authorities revealed absence levels doubled in the weeks leading up to the end of term.
Overall, Inverclyde had the worst rate of any council with 29% absent. East Dunbartonshire ( 28%) and East Renfrewshire (24%) were close behind.
Eastwood High School in East Renfrewshire had the highest absence rate in the final few days with 68% of children posted missing.
Parents say they are forced to take their children out of school because of massive holiday price hikes that accompany “peak season”.
Travel agents confirm the cost of holidaying in Britain and abroad soars after term ends. One holiday in Crete, for example, during this year’s October break increases by 78%. And every package deal researched by Travel Supermarket on our behalf showed a significant price increase.
We asked every council in the country for their absence rates for each of the three final weeks of the summer term over the past three years.
A pattern emerged which showed the number of pupils skipping school doubled as the break approached.
The rates also increased year-on-year.
In total, 13.8% of Scotland’ s 684,415 pupils were marked as being off in the final week of this year’s summer term. That would mean 94,449 children took time off while school was still in session.
By comparison, the absence rate was just 6.58% in the third-last week of term.
Unlike in England, parents in Scotland are not fined for taking their children on holiday during term.
But the Scottish Government advises that parents will not normally be given permission to take pupils out of school for holidays and education authorities can decide sanctions for persistent truancy. Edinburgh City Council has successfully prosecuted parents for neglecting to ensure their children attended school. In 2013, one was fined £150 after pleading not guilty to the offence.
Scottish Conservative shadow education secretary Liz Smith said: “Having so many children miss the last week of term is hardly
ideal, particularly given the challenges Scottish education faces and we know it is something that worries many teachers.
“The last week of term is also one which includes many other enjoyable activities so it is unfortunate that so many children are missing from school.”
Hugh Henry, a former Labour education secretary and MSP, added: “It’s a difficult one for parents because the cost of holidays is prohibitive. It’s a scandal that many can’t afford to take their kids away during the high-cost school holiday period.
“On the other hand, it is valuable educational time. The challenge for schools is to provide stimulating
work for children so parents understand the significance of taking time off.”
A spokesman for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities said that councils worked with head teachers and family support workers “to ensure a proportionate response to each i ndividual circumstance”.
Joanna Murphy, chair of the National Parent Forum of Scotland, pleaded for a common- sense approach to solve the “complex issue”.
She said: “It’s understandable that parents are tempted to remove their children a day or two early when they can make some holiday cost savings, especially if their children are usually allowed to play games and watch videos in the last few days before the holidays anyway.
“However, we acknowledge that schools could be increasingly disrupted if too many parents chase better deals or have to fit holidays in to their shift patterns.”
An Inverclyde Council spokesman said the authority constantly monitored attendance.
He said: “We recognise there are certain periods when there is a marked increase in the numbers of pupils who are absent and we actively discourage parents from taking their children out of school.”
Ann Davie, depute chief executive for education, people and business at East Dunbartonshire Council, said: “All our schools work to ensure high rates of attendance. Where there are concerns, schools take a proactive approach.”
An East Renfrewshire Council spokeswoman said: “We have an excellent attendance rate, which is amongst the highest in Scottish local authority schools ( 96.7% for primary and 94.4% for secondary when last compared in 14/15).
“As these figures only refer to the last three weeks of the school term, they paint a misleading picture.
“We expect our pupils to have good attendance and provide clear guidance to parents and guardians on this.”