THE TERM-TIME HOLIDAY BOOM

Record number of Scots pupils miss lessons for cheap breaks

A RECORD number of Scots pupils are being taken out of school during term time in an attempt to beat holiday price hikes from travel companies. According to official figures, the number of ‘unauthorised holidays’ from the classroom has rocketed by 40 per cent in the past two years.

Nearly one million school days were lost to term-time holidays last year – equivalent to more than one in four pupils taking an entire week off. The rise comes amid growing concerns that travel firms and airlines are ‘holding parents to ransom’. A family holiday can cost an estimated £1,000 more during peak periods.

As a result, many people face the choice of having to take their children out of class early or abandoning their travel plans.

In England and Wales, parents can be hit with a £60 fine, but in Scotland penalties are only likely in extreme cases. Councils in Scotland can issue ‘attendance orders’ and parents who fail to comply can face prosecution in a sheriff court. But there are fears that pupils’ education will suffer as a result of missing school.

Scottish Labour education spokesman Iain Gray said: ‘These figures should be a cause of concern for any

government that wants to close the attainment gap in our classrooms.

‘A huge amount of school days are being lost. Policy makers in the Scottish Government should be asking themselves why there has been such a sharp increase in these unauthorised absences and the knock-on effect that will have on young people getting the skills they need.

‘We know the pressures families face as the Christmas and summer holidays approach: airlines hike the price of flights forcing them to choose between the last week of school or being able to afford a holiday or travel to see loved ones.’

Scottish Government figures show the percentage of school days missed through ‘unauthorised holidays’ rose from 0.5 per cent in 2014-15 to 0.7 per cent in 2016-17.

Based on school rolls and the number of school days, the total number of days lost increased by 260,078 over the period, from 650,194 in 2014-15 to 910,272 in 2016-17.

Last year’s figures suggest that the average pupil took 1.33 days off for

‘Parents being held to ransom’

unauthorised holidays, equivalent to 182,054 of Scotland’s 684,415 pupils taking a whole week off in term time.

Chris McGovern, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: ‘We are very concerned by these figures. On the one hand, it shows that parents don’t value education enough – and many parents are saying, particularly in Scotland, that it does not matter if their children are in school or on holiday because they are not learning anything anyway.

‘But there are also good schools and where they are being provided with a good education it is imperative that they attend.

‘Education is a passport to the future and better that than a passport to Majorca and the Canary Islands.’

Mr McGovern added that ‘selfish’ parents who arrange holidays during school term are also adding to the pressures on teachers, who may have to spend time helping pupils catch up with lessons they have missed. The figures show that, when truancy and other absences are included, a record 2.4 per cent of school days were lost to ‘unauthorised absence’ last year, up from 2 per cent on 2014-15.

It means that a total of 3.1million school days were lost to unauthorised absence last year.

Research by foreign currency firm FairFX shows the average price for a package holiday for a family of four rises by £1,310 in August compared with June – an increase of 55 per cent.

The figures have sparked claims parents are being ‘held to ransom’ by holiday firms.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Although only around 0.7 per cent of half-day sessions were lost to unauthorised holiday absences in 201617, it is important that schools and parents continue to do all they can to ensure good attendance. We will continue to support local authorities, schools and parents to do all they can to ensure good attendance.’

A spokesman for travel trade association ABTA said: ‘The reason prices rise during school holidays and other busy periods is due to supply and demand. Many people in the UK and across Europe take holidays during peak periods of bank holidays and the months of July and August, which are also the times when most schools take their holidays.

‘This further increases demand for a limited number of hotel rooms and flight seats, therefore prices rise. The best way to ensure an affordable holiday is to book early.

‘If school holiday dates were staggered, this would help to alleviate sharp peaks and spread demand over a longer period.’