Parents have been taking their children out of school to go on holiday for years now.

Recently, however, fines can be handed to parents if children are taken away without prior permission of the schools. Head teachers are able to authorise leave during term time, but there is immense pressure on schools to reach a high percentage of attendance, so requests are frequently turned down.

Can anything be done to improve the situation?

Following consultation with parents, one school in Kent has lengthened the school day by twenty minutes. This enables a two-week break during October and also May. In addition to the longer hours in school, INSET days and teacher training at this school are done during twilight sessions. I can’t help but feel that this is not indicative of a sound work-life balance for teaching staff. Additionally, I’m not sure it would be a viable option for all schools as presumably the holiday companies would cotton on and increase prices for the extra weeks too.

It is highly unlikely that holiday resorts and hotels will lower their prices during the school holidays. This would not make business sense; they have to appeal to people during off peak times and lowering their prices is a really straightforward and sensible (for them) solution. 

What do I think?

While I do believe that children taking days and even weeks off school is disruptive, knowing in advance means that we can at least consider this when planning our future units of work to ensure children are able to revisit concepts missed whilst away. I have taught many children who have had poor levels of attendance, with holidays not to blame. Taking a day off here and there, adding up to 10-15% of their school year, is much more damaging in my opinion. 

Many parents and schools are partners in education. I firmly believe in this approach and it is fantastic to know that families are supportive. Holidays where parents informally educate cannot be matched in school: learning about the culture and history through trips; speaking a foreign language with those who speak it as their mother tongue; paying for things and working out which coins/notes to use… all of these experiences are beneficial and I applaud parents who do this with their children.

There are a number of children whose ability to write or solve mathematical problems decreases greatly after the school holidays. Constant reinforcement and support are necessary for these pupils; I’m not sure that some parents understand the detrimental effect that taking further time off school can have. 

It’s clear that holidays during term time are an awful lot cheaper than during designated school holidays. I can understand why these more reasonably-priced breaks appeal. Unfortunately, teachers and other school staff are also unable to take advantage of the lower prices.

Despite my strong feelings on the importance of education, this is one issue on which I am undecided and feel it probably depends on the individual circumstances.