Call for rethink on term-time holiday rules

The Local Government Association, which represents councils, is calling for the removal of a blanket ban that prevents parents taking children out of school for holidays during term-time.

Since September Leeds Council has issued 1,534 fines for unauthorised absences from school.

The LGA is warning that under the current rules, parents looking to go abroad during school holidays can find they are hit with costs more than double that of travelling during term-time.

Currently, if an absence is not authorised, local authorities have an obligation to instigate a fine and enforce legal proceedings on behalf of schools.

This means parents who take children out of school during term-time can receive a penalty notice of £60 per child per parent that rises to £120 if not paid within 21 days.

The LGA is calling for it to be at the discretion of headteachers to make decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Councillor David Simmonds, of the LGA, said: “An outright ban is too simplistic, and doesn’t recognise that family life and circumstances aren’t always so black and white.”

Leeds council said it favoured giving heads “a degree of discretion concerning these exceptional circumstances.”