SUMMER holidays may be right around the corner – but some parents may be eyeing up cheaper term-time breaks for their families.
But what are the risks or fines you could face if you decide to fly outside of the expensive school holiday period and book a trip during term time? Here’s what you need to know…
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Is it legal to take your children on holiday during term time?
Parents are only allowed to let their children miss school if they are sick or have received advanced permission from the headteacher.
Previously heads could grant 10 days of authorised absence but they are now unable to grant any at all.
It has been revealed that almost 20,000 people were taken to court in 2015 after their children missed school without permission – an increase of more than a fifth.
So what happens if you flout the rules?
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How much is the fine if you take your kids out of school during term time?
Parents who take their kids out of school will be slapped with a £60 fine which rises to £120 if it’s not paid within 21 days.
Figures have revealed 50,414 fines were issued to parents between 2014 and 2015.
In the worst case scenario you could be prosecuted and slapped with a £2,500, get a community order and jailed for three months.
But, according to a BBC investigation, some councils are issuing penalties at rates five times higher than average – with parents across England and Wales being fined approximately £24million over the past three years.
In January 2017, a school in Essex threatened to fine parents £120 if their kids were to arrive after 9am – with the fine doubling if it wasn’t paid within 21 days.
A headteacher was slammed for skipping the last day of term in February to fly to Rome to watch a Six Nations rugby match.
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What happened with the case of Jon Platt?
Jon Platt is a dad who was taken to the Supreme Court to argue for a parent’s right to take their child on holiday during term time — a case he ultimately lost.
He was taken through the courts by Isle of Wight Council who fined him £120 for jetting off with his daughter, 7, on a family trip to Florida in 2015.
But while Isle of Wight magistrates and the High Court eventually both ruled in his favour, the Department for Education requested the case be taken to the Supreme Court, which ruled against Platt in the landmark case.
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When Platt was preparing for his Supreme Court case, some British schools relaxed the rules around term-time holidays.
Some reportedly scrapped fines for parents entirely while councils around the country re-evaluated their rules on holidays during term time.
Ten councils then ditched their cases and six suspended issuing fines.
Since the epic two-year £140,000 legal battle, Jon admitted that he wished he paid the fee instead of taking the case to court.
Is anything being done to help parents?
There may be some hope for parents who find it increasingly expensive to take their kids on holiday during official school breaks.
Although Jon Platt’s case was a defeat for parents, it led to calls for the government to intervene and force a cap on the price of a summer break.
These breaks can be several hundreds of pounds more during months when children are on school holidays.
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