A FUMING dad has hit out at his son’s school’s rules after being denied permission to take him on holiday.
Former Armed Forces worker Paul Hughes said he will be fined for taking his eldest away, but his youngest – who attends a different school – was given permission.
Schools and local councils are entitled to bill parents up to £120 per parent for unauthorised absences – which if not paid within 28 days can lead to a three-month stint in a prison cell.
Paul and his wife are facing a £60 fine each from Mortimer Community College if they ignore the policy even though his son has a 90% attendance and does well in school.
Paul, from South Shields, said: “Why should I be threatened with a fine for wanting to spend time with my kid? I can totally understand if I was taking them out of school for months or weeks at a time, but that’s not the case here.”
Paul now works overseas in renewable energy building wind turbines, and feels his experience highlights how allowing headteachers to decide which pupils can take time off can be unfair.
He also said that because he works abroad for months at a time, he’s unable to choose when he takes his holiday days.
Currently, the Government allows headteachers to decide how many days pupils can be away from school if leave is granted and parents must apply for permission.
Paul’s children, aged 10 and 15, are said to have around the same attendance record and will both sit exams next year.
He has suggested to Mortimer Community College that his son could complete any of the work he has missed at home.
Paul said: “I don’t believe in the Government giving the headteacher the book to decide who gets to spend time with their family.
“I understand if that child’s attendance was very poor and they were behind in education. But really the only time my kids are off is when they’re really ill.
“If he’s going to miss so much work, send it home and he can do it in his own time.”
He added: “If I could take my kids on holiday during school holiday time I would do that, but that’s not the case. If the money we’ll be fined would go towards education I probably wouldn’t mind paying it. But I don’t know where this money is going.
“There should be some leeway, especially for people who work away and don’t get to see their kids as much.”
Paul said he remembers that parents would have a “two week grace period” when he was at school, which would allow parents permission to take their children out of school for two weeks each year.
If parents exceeded this, questions would then be raised.
But when Paul spoke to the attendance officer at Mortimer Community College, they highlighted that his son had already been off for four days in October.
Taking your children out of school: What are the rules?
Taking your children on holiday is pretty standard for families looking to take a break and spend some quality time together, but doing so without following the rules can land parents with nasty fines.
According to the government’s website, you will not be able to take your children on holiday during term time unless you have permission from the school’s headteacher.
And, you can only do it by either making an application to them in advance (as a parent the child normally lives with) or if there are exceptional circumstances.
As well as the power to permit time away from school, the headteacher will also have control over how many days off are granted.
There are a multitude of measures that local councils and schools can take if attendance is not met or leave has been taken without permission.
Things like a Parenting Order, Education Supervision Order, a School Attendance Order and costly fines are all on the table as a consequence.
Parents can be issued fines of £60 each, which can be doubled to £120 if not paid within three weeks.
Failure to pay the fines within 28 days can lead to parents being prosecuted for their child’s absence.
Severe consequences including a fine of up to £2,500, a community order or a jail sentence of up to 3 months are all routes local councils and schools can take.
Angry dad Paul said this was for an educational trip to Normandy World War Two battlefield, ahead of Remembrance Day.
Paul then pointed out that his son has been invited on a skiing holiday and a trip to Morocco with the school.
He said: “I don’t understand how we can’t take our own children on holiday, but it’s acceptable for me to pay a school for them to take my kids on a trip.
“A skiing holiday is adventure training, it’s not educational.
“How is a school allowed to take the kids on holiday – probably during term time – if the parent pays the school to do so?
But if you want to take your own child on an occasional holiday – I’m not saying all the time, I get kids should be in school – we’re not able to.
“And if we do we get a fine per parent?”
He added: “How can it be okay for them to shut the school when they like for strikes and teacher training days, but as soon as you want to take your kid out of school for a holiday, the headteacher gets to decide who they allow to go on holiday? Where is the fairness in that?
“I was fully behind the teachers’ strike. I know kids can be difficult and it’s hard for teachers. But how can that be okay?”
A spokesperson for Mortimer Community College said: “We work hard with our families to achieve good attendance and to ensure all our students get the best from their education.
“We do understand the frustrations parents may have around the law, but the school follows the law and guidance issued by the Department of Education around authorisation for leave of absence, and absences from school can only be granted by Head Teachers in exceptional circumstances.
“It would be inappropriate to comment on individual cases.”
Unauthorised absence fines will increase this year
Parents whose kids miss five days of school risk a £160 fine under a government attendance drive. Headteachers will also be forced to share their absence data so local authorities can keep tabs on children under threat of falling through the cracks
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has vowed to tackle truancy which surged in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
The unauthorised absence rate for this academic year stands at around 2.2 per cent – roughly 200,200 kids who are skipping school.
The crackdown will compel all councils to consider fining parents if their child racks up five days off class without permission.
Currently local authorities have varying policies about when to issue fixed penalty notices.
Meanwhile fines will go up from £60 to £80 if paid within three weeks, and from £120 to £160 if paid within four weeks.
The laws – which will make clear fines should only be used where attendance interventions have failed – will kick in from August in time for the next school year starting in September.
Ms Keegan highlighted a “worldwide rise in absence” due to schools shutting in lockdown and worsening pupil’s mental health.
She said: “Our fantastic schools and teachers unlock children’s imagination, potential and social skills which is why improving attendance is my number one priority.”
PARENTS DEALING WITH FINES
A mum who is taking her daughter and niece out of school to go on holiday has already been fined – despite the fact they haven’t actually left yet.
Tink is taking her daughter Ruby and niece Maisie away later this month, and handed a letter into school informing them of their planned vacation.
Elsewhere, some parents have said that even though fines are set to rise they’ll still take their kids on holiday because they refuse to miss out on making memories with their young children.
The Sun has approached Mortimer Community College for comment.
