Why 1 in 8 parents book their holiday in term time
PARENTS are taking their children out of school during term time in increasing numbers to avoid paying ‘eye-watering’ record prices for flights.
A survey for the Daily Mail found 13 per cent of parents have now booked a trip which would mean taking their children out of school.
The poll of 2,000 British holidaymakers, carried out by Holiday Extras, revealed there had been an increase in the number of parents who were choosing to take a holiday during term time.
When the same poll was carried out in January, 10 per cent of parents said they had booked a break at a cheaper time of year.
Noel Josephides, chairman of Sunvil Holidays and a director of AITO travel association, said the peaks in prices are far higher than the association has ever seen before, adding: ‘It’s likely to be the same in the summer’. He said: ‘My children, who have their own children, have complained to me
‘Eye-watering prices for return flights’
about these high rates and they say they are going to take them out of school.’
Many parents have been seeking advice about how to avoid the soaring costs of family holidays on websites such as Mumsnet.
One parent, who is a teacher, said: ‘Just go in term time. [My husband] and I are both teachers so we can’t, but you better believe we would take the kids out of school if that was our only obstacle.’
In England, parents can be handed a £60 fine – which increases to £120 if not paid within 21 days – if they take their child out of school without permission. Parents who repeatedly take children out of school can face a fine of up to £2,500, a community order or a jail term of up to three months.
In Scotland there are no fines but the Scottish Government advises that schools will not normally give a family permission to take pupils out of school for holidays.
Jo Rhodes, deputy travel editor at Which?, said: ‘We’ve seen some eye-watering prices for return flights to popular European destinations that would have been a fraction of the price a few years ago. With prices unlikely to fall anytime soon, many families could find themselves priced out of some popular holiday destinations.’