No brainer?

[Gul8]

I read an article on the BBC this morning about a mum who said it was a no brainer to take the kids out of school during term & pay a fine in order to go for a £2k cheaper family holiday to Egypt (link below).

I have 2 kids in primary school and opinions in our household differ drastically on this subject (and interpreting the stats).

What are your opinions on this? Should parents be allowed to take kids out of school for a holiday or are you strongly against this? I don't think teaching staff at schools are, for example, taking unathorised leave during term time with their families? I could be wrong and have just never heard of teachers doing it.

I have sometimes also found that there are good deals on holidays booked far in advance (>1y), but I could be wrong!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0xjq342xg6o

Of course teachers aren’t doing it!

In Scotland we don’t fine parents for taking children out of school for a holiday, but I still think it should be discouraged. It would be chaos if child after child in a class was absent for a couple of weeks.

I think the problem lies with the travel companies and the inflated prices they charge during school holidays, but I don’t know if anything can be done about that.

Thanks EVHead.

Yes that's true already I'd say. In our first year at school there were a few children who were away for a couple of weeks (usually close to the school holiday) during term. Several different kids at different weeks during term.

Not sure how else you'd discourage people from doing it. I read another one where a mum took 3 holidays during term and keeps on doing it for years (mental health suffered etc by being taken to court but I think it reads that she kept doing it and my interpretation is that she is pleased still that she saved £10k over the years?).
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgxw5nvzegvo

Fair point and does sound like it needs regulating then. Why not introduce something like holidays aren't to increase by more than % during school holidays? Realize it's a supply and demand thing that drives prices but surely a 100% increase at times is unreasonable.