Back to school

When parents can save up to half the cost of flights and accommodation on off-peak deals during school term – and when the fine for unauthorised absence is a mere £100 – it is easy to see why the trend has grown to the point where it is disrupting education and boosting truancy figures.

The welcome given by head teachers to yesterday’s report makes it clear that term-time holidays have become a major problem, fostering the belief among children and parents that absence from school is acceptable and affecting the performance of all pupils in classes where teachers have to spend time helping those who have missed lessons to catch up.

It is one thing to announce a change in the law, however, but quite another to enforce it. And unless Education Secretary Michael Gove is going to back his admirable intention with meaningful sanctions for those who flout it, this latest initiative will come to nothing.

There are also wider cultural issues to consider. For example, 30 years after the late headmaster, Ray Honeyford, brought the matter to public attention, the practice of parents in Bradford sending children for extended holidays in Pakistan continues, even though it is now widely recognised that this damages their education and employment opportunities.

Is Mr Gove intending to get to grips with this problem and, if so, how? For there is no doubt that, if this law is to be introduced, it must apply in all situations and it must be enforced.