Fining parents for taking children out of school for holidays is a lazy tax avoiding the real issues - Victoria Clapham

This holiday resulted in a fine of £240 (£60 per child, per parent). The cost difference taking the children out in mid-June to mid-July was nearly £2,000. The higher cost would have made the holiday cost prohibitive. With the choice of an extra cost of £240 or £2,000 it was a no-brainer.

This is therefore a blatant ‘holiday tax’ facing the vast majority of parents looking at booking their next family holiday. Even with this holiday, my children had 95 per cent plus attendance across the year, because we value the role education plays and the importance of them attending regularly and on time.

And here lies the crux of the issue. The focus by the government is completely wrong and is penalising easy targets.

The children that have regular poor attendance (say less than 90 per cent) are highly unlikely to be spending all that absent time on holiday. It is more likely to be the result of other issues related to their learning, health, home, family or financial situation. It is this longer term absence that will have an impact on their learning and future outcomes. Focusing on this holiday policy means the government is not tackling the real issues of poor attendance and instead relying on the excuse that the fining of parents is a ‘long term precedent with no plans to change’.

I have yet to see any ‘evidence’ that supports the argument that taking children out for one or two weeks a year on holiday during school time has an adverse effect on their lives and learning. I’d in fact argue there’s more evidence to say it enhances their wellbeing. Travelling exposes children to new cultures, languages, and experiences that contribute to their overall development. This kind of learning, outside the classroom, can be invaluable and complementary to their formal education. A holiday can serve as a much-needed break, allowing children to recharge, bond with family and return to school more focused and refreshed.

With the holiday companies making no indication they’ll change their profiteering ways by charging exorbitant rates in school holidays, there is very little that will change from a financial perspective and the cost of holidays. Yet, hard working families, who strive to have one holiday a year when they can enjoy quality time together will be faced with the decision of paying increasingly higher fines, and even threats of a magistrates court summons if there’s a third holiday taken in term time in three years. This current policy disproportionately affects lower-income families who cannot afford peak holiday prices. Therefore creating a situation where only wealthier families can afford both the fines and the higher holiday costs, exacerbating economic inequality.

Victoria Clapham is the managing director of Bevic Marketing Services.