More pupils in England were off school without permission in the last week of the summer term than at any point in the academic year, official figures show.
The latest school attendance data shows 5% of pupils in England were off without permission in the week ending 19 July – around 450,000 pupils.
It comes as the government tightens rules to try to stop parents taking their children out of school to go on holiday.
Fines issued to each parent have gone up from £60 to £80 per child which will be doubled if it happens again within three years. Those with a third fine in a three-year period now face prosecution.
But some parents have told the BBC this is not a deterrent.
Megan Hall and her husband Michael got their first fines after taking their two children on a ski holiday in March and have now booked a two-week holiday later this month.
“The kids will be missing 10 days of school, which is a worry because of the new fines,” Mrs Hall told the BBC.
The couple run a pub and bed and breakfast in Northumberland and said if they took their children – aged four and eight – away during their busy summer season they would incur a cost to their business as well as higher holiday prices.
“I won’t stop doing holidays because that’s what family is about,” said Mrs Hall.
“The alternative is to not have family time, or to teach your kids to lie, saying they are sick, which is something I’m not happy to do,” she added.
Nearly 400,000 penalty notices were issued to parents in England for unauthorised school absences during the 2022-23 academic year. That is much higher than pre-pandemic levels and unauthorised absences have remained at a similar rate over the most recent academic year.
Speaking at a school on Monday, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said “persistent absenteeism” was “a big problem”, adding that “it’s important that all of us pull together [and] make sure children are here in school”.
Poor school attendance can hit academic achievement, social development, and children’s future prospects, Carly Speechley, Barnsley’s executive director for children’s services, has previously said.
Research has indicated that tests and exam results are showing the pandemic led to a widened gap between children from the highest and lowest income families.
That suggests missing days at school will have a bigger impact on some children than others.
‘A risk we’re willing to take’
Rachel Kelly and her partner took their children out of primary school in May and are waiting for a fine to be issued.
“You don’t want to take them out of school during term time,” she added. “But if it means it’s going to save you thousands of pounds then that’s the best alternative.
“If I can save [money on a holiday] to go towards bills then you are going to do that, it seems to be the sensible option.”
She said fines and prosecutions are “a risk that we’re willing to take”.
Holidaying during term time is substantially cheaper and travel agents say they have seen an increase in enquiries from families weighing up the price difference.
Long haul flights in particular can double during the six-week summer holiday, according to data from the Flight Centre, the fifth largest travel agency in the world.
It gave the BBC examples of price rises between term-time and the summer holidays:
- Thailand: Term-time £554, summer holidays £1,112
- New York: Term-time £586, summer holidays £942
- Orlando: Term-time £556, summer holidays £754
According to Colman Coyne, managing director of travel agency Jetset in Huddersfield an increasing number of families have been looking for holidays during term time.
“Going back three, four years ago it was very rare that we would find a family with school age children travelling outside the Easter, half terms and summer holidays.
“We see now it’s quite a regular thing. And you can see they’re weighing up whether it’s worth risking a fine.”
‘Parents being victimised’
For Dee and Lee Morgan, who have been fined six times in recent years, the new threat of prosecution means they will now stick to school holidays for getaways with their children aged 10 and 13.
“I’m angry we’re having to do this. Life’s hard enough,” said Dee, who is a nurse.
“Money’s tight, things are going up, we all have to go to work, we deserve a holiday – everybody deserves a holiday – why do they have to make it hard?”
“We’re being victimised…everyone has rights, I have rights and they’re my children and it’s my right to take them on holiday.”