UK parents say they are not deterred by fines against them taking their kids on holiday during term time.
With holiday costs soaring during the programmed school holidays, more and more parents are opting to take their children to sunnier climes during term time. According to a recent YouGov poll, factoring in the cost of an imposed sanction for absenteeism still works out less costly for UK families to take their children on holiday and miss school days.
Almost 60 percent of parents who responded to the survey either have already or would consider taking their children out of school for a family holiday. The results come as the UK government announced plans to increase the fine for unauthorised absences in order to boost flagging attendance since the pandemic. The poll, of nearly 5,500 parents from across the UK, was carried out before the new law came in to increase the absenteeism fine.
New absenteeism fines up to £2,500
The government has increased school absence fines from £60 to £80. If the family receives a second fine within a 3-year period, they will automatically be slapped with a £160 penalty. The Department for Education also threatens to issue a ‘parenting order’ on a third absence, which could lead to a further £2,500 fine.
In a survey carried out by the charity Parentkind, one in five parents said that they found it increasingly more difficult to ensure their kids don’t miss school since homeschooling during the pandemic.
‘Fines are a blunt tool,’ according to the general secretary of the union NAHT, Paul Whiteman. ‘Many teachers are already doing a huge amount to help support children back into school, and attendance figures have started to improve. The best way for the government to tackle the causes behind persistent absence is to fund those services that support both families and schools, which faced devastating cuts under the austerity of the last government.’
