Is term-time holiday worth a fine?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/7856092.stm

Version 0 of 1.

By Tom Warren BBC News

Schools can grant up to 10 days term-time holiday a year

The reasons why growing numbers of parents are fined for letting their children miss school is being investigated by the government.

Since 2004 education authorities across England have issued tens of thousands of fixed penalties to parents.

Some families claim the higher cost of holidays during school breaks is largely to blame for the growing number of absences.

A study into the issue is set to be completed by the summer.

'Fine cheaper'

In the 2004/05 school year just 3,483 fixed penalties were issued by local education authorities (LEAs) across England.

But by 2006/07 it had risen sharply to 14,625.

The latest available figures from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) from September 2007 to April 2008, show 10,498 notices were posted to parents in the first two terms of that academic year.

Some parents in Devon have said the fines are a risk worth taking because of the expense of holidays.

"One hundred pounds is probably a lot cheaper than the difference in the cost of a holiday," one mother told BBC News.

While Richard Newton-Chance, principal of Queen Elizabeth Community College in Crediton, Devon, said the premium on holidays taken in August encouraged parents to take their children out of school so they could holiday earlier or later.

ABSENCE FINES ISSUED 2004/05 - 3,4832005/06 - 12,1502006/07 - 14,6252007/08 (excluding final term) - 10,498

Schools can grant up to 10 days term-time holiday per year, but it is at head teachers' discretion.

There are two levels of penalty notices - £50 if the fine is settled within 28 days and £100 if it is later than 28 days but within 42 days.

Parents who refuse to pay are committing an offence under the 1996 Education Act.

The choice whether to issue fines rests with individual schools and LEAs. And there are vastly different approaches.

Kent, for example, issued 330 notices between September 07 and April 08.

But many London boroughs, including Haringey, Hounslow and Lambeth, did not send out any.

Reasons for absence have been recorded by schools since 2006, but it is not compulsory and many unauthorised days off are unexplained.

Some local authorities did not issue any fines last year

A DCSF spokesman said the practice of issuing fines was rolled-out across England in 2006.

"More local authorities are aware of them now. And from September 2007 we expanded the number of things they could be issued for.

"Over the last five years it's gone up. We're currently doing a piece of research talking to LEAs asking why exactly [the fines] were given.

"It will also look into the effectiveness of them."

A spokeswoman from First Choice, in Canterbury, Kent, said more families were booking breaks in term time.

"People are more open to that now, when they see the difference in price," she said.

She added the economic downturn had not made a difference to sales.

The Association of British Travel Agents said it was hard to monitor how many parents took their children out of school for holidays.

A spokesman said travel agents tended not to ask people booking holidays in term time if they had gained permission from their child's school.

But he added sales of family breaks had been buoyant throughout January as many took advantage of children-go-free offers.

"It's been a very pleasant surprise because in the current economic climate no one knew what would happen," a spokesman said.

"Business has been very brisk because of the deals."