School fine lottery

Issue of term-time holidays

THE SCALE of the fines imposed across Yorkshire on parents who take their children out of school during term time is both surprising and an illustration of what a thorny issue this has become.

More than 30,000 fines totalling £1.1m in the past 18 months clearly demonstrates that substantial numbers of parents do not feel obliged to stick to the school holidays when taking their children away.

A better balance needs to be struck over termtime holidays, especially following the Supreme Court ruling earlier this month which upheld a fine imposed on a father who took his children out of school. Currently, the picture in Yorkshire is one of a postcode lottery with some areas pursuing absences more vigorously than others.

Education authorities argue convincingly that children’s education will suffer if they are taken out of classes, and helping them to catch up on their return places additional pressure on already over-stretched teachers.

Yet responsible parents argue equally convincingly that they know what is best for their children, and in certain circumstances a term-time holiday may benefit their development and even their learning. The looming toughening-up of enforcement threatens to put schools and parents at loggerheads with each other, which neither wants.

It is inarguable that children should be in school for the overwhelming majority of term time, yet there should be sufficient flexibility in the system to accommodate the wishes of parents who have legitimate reasons for taking them out, and a more even-handed approach to issuing fines.