Parents seek sun, sea and unauthorised school absence, survey finds

12th February 2015, 12:01am

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Parents seek sun, sea and unauthorised school absence, survey finds

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/parents-seek-sun-sea-and-unauthorised-school-absence-survey-finds

More than a third of parents have taken their children on holiday during term-time since stricter holiday-absence rules were introduced, a new survey suggests.

Thirty-six per cent of parents with children aged between 5 and 16 have chosen to risk fines of £60 per pupil in order to avoid paying the increased price of flights and hotels during school holidays.

On average, families holidaying during term time saved £237.10 per person, the survey of almost 800 parents found. And 35 per cent of those who took their children on holiday during term-time said that they saved more than £250 per person.

The parents, who were surveyed by YouGov on behalf of Halifax bank, said that ever-increasing prices during Christmas, Easter and summer breaks were making holidays prohibitively expensive. Twenty-eight per cent said that they could not afford to take their children away during school holidays.

Fines for parents who take their children on holiday during term-time were introduced in September 2013.

However, only 14 per cent of the parents who had taken their children out of school for a holiday said that they faced a fine on their return. And 56 per cent of parents said that the current rules had no impact on their holiday-making decisions.

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