Two million parents turn to term-time trips as holiday costs rise
Nearly a fifth of parents report they can no longer afford to take trips during the school holidays, while almost a quarter (23 per cent) are willing to incur fines for cheaper term-time breaks, according to a survey of 2,000 British adults.
Parents have paid a total of £41 million in fines for unauthorised term-time holidays since 2022. Research from Currensea, a foreign currency debit card provider, has revealed that 18 per cent of parents believe the savings made by travelling outside school holidays outweigh this financial penalty.
• Should parents be fined for taking family holidays in term-time?
Emma Harris, 51, from Clevedon, north Somerset, is a mother of two boys, the elder of whom is autistic. In 2021, she chose to take her sons out of secondary school during term-time for a family holiday to Walt Disney World in Florida after the school refused to authorise the absence.
Faced with a fine of £60 per parent per child, totalling £240, Harris believed it was in her children's best interests to travel during a quieter, off-peak period.
'It was their first time abroad, so taking them out when we did meant it wasn't too chaotic,' she said. 'We knew it would be busy if we went during the school holidays and the park would be crammed. As it was, when we got there we got passes, so we were able to avoid queuing for the most part. For children who have additional needs like my son, we have to navigate his sensory difficulties.'
Harris explained: 'Every day, you're approaching something different with an autistic child in a new environment, and you have to deal with meltdowns and anxieties. However, if you have to go through it with ten times as many people, the holiday won't be enjoyable for anybody.
'When you look at the grand scheme of things, we decided it was going to be so much better to pay the fine. We would have ended up paying more anyway if we decided to go during the school holidays than we did with the fine.'
• The best way to get your kids to revise? A family holiday
The threat of further penalties did not deter Harris and her family from booking their next trip outside of term-time. 'We went to Lanzarote two years ago with family who don't have children and they didn't want to go during the chaos of school holidays. Again, we wanted a quieter environment for my son and his younger brother, so we said sod it, we'll pay for a better holiday with the fine.'
The government website says that all schools are required to consider a fine when a child has missed five or more days for 'unauthorised reasons'. From August last year, the fee was raised from £60 to £80 if paid within three weeks, or £160 if paid within 28 days.
It also states that the 'vast majority of fines for unauthorised absence (89 per cent) are issued for term-time holidays'. If parents are prosecuted and brought to court because of unauthorised absences, they can face fines of up to £2,500.
Another parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said they decided to take their child out of school to visit family in Poland over Christmas — and, by doing so, saved £600.
Commenting on the backlash they received from other parents, they said: 'Taking my daughter out of school was a controversial issue, with potential implications for her education and fines from her school. As a parent, I think it's ridiculous for schools to be getting involved with this.
• School holiday prices over the top? Give us a break, minister
'It's insane that we need to pay vast amounts of money to take your child to your home country to see their grandparents, or just in general to spend time with family.'
James Lynn, the co-founder of Currensea, said: 'Parents are under huge financial pressure, so it's no wonder that millions are prepared to risk fines to treat their families to a much-needed break.'
The research also found that parents seek to minimise expenses while travelling abroad. Almost three quarters, 72 per cent, said bank charges for spending money abroad were too high, while 67 per cent complained of hidden costs when using their debit card overseas.
Two thirds (66 per cent) were worried about getting caught out by high foreign exchange fees when using their bank card abroad, and 80 per cent of parents said banks needed to explain their fees more clearly.
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