With the summer holidays rapidly approaching, many teachers will be thinking about how to spend their well-deserved time off.

But the amount of rest they can look forward to varies hugely between countries. In Europe alone, the school summer holidays range from six weeks (in countries including England and Wales) to 13 weeks (as in Italy and Turkey).

In England, taking children out of school for holidays during term time is contentious. At present, principals may approve 10 days of absence for each child every year. But in a review on improving attendance, the government found that some schools and parents had come to consider this an automatic entitlement. New guidance is due to be published specifying the situations in which parents can take children out of school.

Last year, a poll found that more than half of parents in England had taken their children out of school during term time. More than four in 10 said the prospect of a #163;50 fine (which has now been increased to #163;60) was outweighed by savings on booking an off-peak holiday.

What happens In the US?

US schools take a 3-month summer vacation.

More than 12,000 summer camps exist.

Approximately 7,000 are residential and 5,000 are day camps.

Day camp numbers have grown by nearly 90% over the past 20 years.

Source: American Camp Association.

www.acacamps.orgmediaaca-facts-trends.