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More parents fined over term-time holidays
Sunday 23rd October 2011, 9:00AM BST.
Rising numbers of parents have been fined for taking their children out of school during term time. Holidays can be more than 40 per cent cheaper for families during term time.
But headteachers are getting tougher on the issue, with one Black Country borough hitting parents with £50 fines for taking their children out of school.
In Walsall, 231 parents were issued with a fixed penalty notice for taking holidays during the school year from September 2010 to July 2011. This has risen from 209 the year before.
A spokesman for Serco, the private company in charge of education in Walsall, said: “This represents a slight increase from last year’s figures as headteachers continue to tackle absence and its impact on learning.
“Headteachers encourage parents not to request authorisation for holiday absence and do not authorise requests for holiday absence unless there are exceptional circumstances.
“When holiday absence is not authorised then a penalty notice can be issued.”
But a national survey earlier this year revealed almost half of parents would risk a fine to take their children on holiday to avoid paying the highest prices for holidays or to fit in with their own work holidays.
The travelsupermarket.com poll, carried out in April, showed the price of a two- week trip to the Algarve for a family of four increased by up to 42 per cent during the school holidays.
Some schools allow parents leeway of a few days each year to take their children out of school during term time. It is usually at the discretion of the headteacher.
In Dudley, a total of 158 parents got in hot water for taking their children on holidays during term time in the last academic year. Council leader Les Jones said: “A total of 79 parents paid fixed penalty notices, while a further 79 people were prosecuted through the courts.”
The fines are £50 if paid within 28 days or £100 within 42 days.
However, in Sandwell no parents have been issued with fines.
Staffordshire County Council today said it had issued fines to 140 parents for not sending their children to school during the school year 2010 to 2011 but this could be for a wide variety of reasons, not just holidays. County councillor Liz Staples said: “This number constitutes a very small proportion of parents in Staffordshire.”
Wolverhampton City Council could not provide a breakdown of fines.
By Catherine Dalton
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Schoolchildren get roughly 14 weeks holiday per year,surely parents can find a suitable time during school holidays to take a break. If it all comes down to cost at the end of the day maybe people should take this on board before deciding to have children in the first place. Statistics prove that every single day out of school DOES.have a negative effect on a child’s education also rules aren’t made to be broken and if parents insist on doing it then what example does that set for their children.
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and who keeps the fine money
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Talk about an authoritarian state! Who gave them to power to issue fines anyway?
In these hard times, it is so sad that families are being punished for trying to save a bit of money. I week or two of missed school is unlikely to make much difference. I bet the kids will get more out of a holiday and some quality family time.
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If everyday missed has an impact on a childs education, maybe the teachers should consider that next time they go on strike for no good reason.
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If school time is so vital, why do our kids lose so much time because of ‘inset days’? Surely teachers could sacrifice a few days of their extensive holidays on full pay for training.
Our son lost a morning of education because the staff needed a morning off after Open Evening.
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Inset days are not part of your childs school year. Pupils are expected to attend on 190 days, the teachers year covers 195 days, the extra 5 days being the “inset” days.
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Oi ad loads of deys off for olideys it day efeckt me
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What about the lost days when the teachers strike over their pensions, Laura? Are those days as vital for the kids education?
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Hmm a £50 fine when they can save £1000 on their holiday I’m sure the parents are getting sleepless nights over the prospect.
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There are GCSE modular exams and GCSE internal assessments and GCSE coursework throughout (at least) the two final years of school. Why on earth a parent feels the need to holiday during these times is beyond me.
As well as this, students are preparing for these important times and therefore need to be in a classroom and not away somewhere else on holiday. Even outside of exam years, students that miss school for holidays may find it hard to catch up in their own time; the onus falls on the teacher and, surely this is wrong?
INSET days are outside of the legally required days that children are in school; I think some people need to look on their LA site and get their facts right.
And good teachers who are happy in their jobs are VITAL for your child’s education, this is why (as a last resort and once in at least the last 10 years) they ballot to strike.
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laura how about teachers training surely they can do these in school holidays
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With the exception of our final two years of secondary school my parents took my brother and myself out of school for a week or two weeks every June.
Both of my parents worked full time and this was the only time that they could both get the same week(s) off work during the summer. If we didn’t go on holiday then; then we didn’t go at all. Did this affect our education? Not one bit; both of us passed our GCSE’s. My brother went on to do an apprenticeship and I went on to do my A-Levels and Degree.
From my experience; a week or two on holiday with your family increases your life experience. I learnt more about volcano’s during a two week holiday in Tenerife then I ever did at school. The Local Education Authorities need to look at the circumstances and instead of coming down hard on those who take their kids out of school for a holiday; they need to crack down on the parent’s who let their kids bunk off school for no reason.
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Surely if a parent is going to take a child out of school during term time, the catching up that child needs to do must be something they (the parents) ensure happens.
Sometimes there are reasons people take time out during term time, sometimes good, sometimes not.
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I am a headteacher at a Primary School at I authorise up to 10 days per year for holidays. The estate that feeds the school is not an affluent one and I know for a fact that parents would not be able to afford to take them during the summer break. In my mind, there are so many positives for a child spending a week away with their family (time that’s not always used positively at home when parents work shifts etc) and I wouldn’t want to deny them that opportunity.
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Simon is right a holiday abroad can be a hugely valuable education experience. With schools now running less school trips themselves (because of over-testing and health and safety paranoia) who can blame parents for filling the gap by organising trips themselves?
The travel industry should me more heavily regulated over their pricing to stop them varying the prices so much
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