Quarter of primary schools have fined parents for term-time holidays, survey says

The temptation of more affordable holiday offers at off-peak instances typically prospects to mother and father taking their child out of school in the course of phrase time. Photograph: Eyewire

A quarter of major college leaders have fined dad and mom for taking kids out of college for unauthorised holidays, in accordance to a survey taken in the wake of new legislation banning holiday absences throughout phrase time.

The survey also reveals that many mothers and fathers possibly try to get around the new principles – and the fines – by claiming sickness as the cause for absence.

Legislation that came into force in September ended a policy that allowed colleges to grant up to ten days leave for family holidays. But the national survey of much more than 800 primary school headteachers and deputies in England – carried out by The Essential, a consultancy support supporting college heads – suggests the new principles are failing to alter parents’ behaviour, particularly for individuals with primary school-aged young children.

Much more than half the major college leaders who responded to the survey explained applications for added term-time holidays had risen in current many years, in contrast with just a third of secondary college heads.

Some two-thirds of primary leaders said the extra holiday had turn out to be an important problem at their college, with the difficulty most acute in the south-east, in which 69% of school heads stated it was an problem, in contrast with 47% of people in the Yorkshire and Humberside region.

The new rules allow colleges to fine each mother or father £60 for each and every child’s unauthorised absence, increasing to £120 if not paid inside seven days, and one particular in four of those surveyed said they had utilised the new power since it came into force on 1 September.

The survey discovered that schools had also called mothers and fathers to specific meetings with attendence panels or welfare officers, and even threatened exclusion in extreme cases.

College leaders in the east Midlands have taken the toughest stance, with the survey discovering that 44% of school leaders in the region had imposed fines on parents, compared with just five% of their counterparts in London.

In Derbyshire, 238 fines were imposed on mother and father of pupils in maintained colleges in September alone, which was far more than the 219 fines imposed for the total first half of the yr.

Nottingham city council has presently imposed 164 fines between the start of the school yr in September and the end of November, compared with just 338 given out in the whole 2012-13 academic year.

But some headteachers said the new rules have been obtaining minor impact on the behaviour of mother and father and 63% mentioned they did not expect requests for term time holidays to fall regardless of the new guidelines limiting applications to “exceptional circumstances”.

“Proof to date displays no lessen in term time requests. Mother and father get young children anyway even if unauthorised,” explained Carole Staniland, headteacher at Carter Knowle junior college in Sheffield.

The new rules have witnessed some bitter protests from mothers and fathers, such as petitions led by a group lobbying for parents to be allowed to enjoy the lower costs for loved ones holidays outside of school holiday peak seasons.

But the evaluation of schooling specialists is practically unanimous that lost classroom time – specifically in principal school – is damaging to a child’s training.

Fergal Roche, chief executive of the Essential, said: “It is clear that the worth of the fines imposed is insufficient to deter mothers and fathers who are conserving significantly far more on the expense of holidays in peak periods.”

Quarter of primary schools have fined parents for term-time holidays, survey says