Taking our young son out of school for three precious family trips abroad that would have been impossible in the school holidays – something many parents will contemplate at one time or another.
Department for Education figures show councils handed out 443,322 fines for unauthorised absences in the 2023-24 school year, an increase of 22 per cent on the previous year.
Department for Education figures show councils handed out 443,322 fines for unauthorised absences in the 2023-24 school year and 91 per cent of these were for holidays.
Our 'criminal activity' began in late September 2022 when we took Leo – then six and in Year One – out of school for a holiday in Croatia after being invited there by Phil's parents.
At the time, the penalty for unauthorised absences was £60 per parent per school-age child, though that rose to £80 last August, whether that's a day out of school or two weeks.
