A mum who was fined for taking her child on holiday during term time claims her daughter learnt more in Spain than she would have done in school.
The woman, from Hull, said the £60 fine was nowhere near the cost of going abroad while schools were closed. She added that her daughter learnt Spanish and more about the country's culture during their trip.
Meanwhile, a number of parents fined for taking their children out of school during term time have said they would do it again because it still works out cheaper overall. It comes as Hull's portfolio holder for education said she was shocked at the number of fines being handed out and pledged to look at a city-wide strategy to address the issue.
Read More: Mum fumes after being fined for taking child out of school for eight days
Parents writing on social media claimed they saved thousands of pounds on holidays, despite being fined as much as £120 for taking children out of school. Some blamed travel companies for putting up prices during popular times of the year, which encouraged parents to take holidays when they were cheaper, reports Hull Live.
The debate followed the publication of figures from Hull City Council, which showed 34 parents were prosecuted and 937 received fixed penalty notices in 2021-22, 610 to parents of primary age children and 327 to those of secondary school pupils. A total of £33,660 in fines were netted during the same period.
The mum who took her child to Spain wrote in a Facebook comment that she felt her family needed a break after two years of coronavirus disruption. She agreed that school was important, but believed there were other things in the world children needed to see and be taught.
She said: "She learnt so much about Spanish culture, learnt some Spanish and tried lots of new foods. Secondly the £60 fine didn't come close to the savings I made. I wouldn't have been able to go if not during term time."
Other parents also joined the debate. One said she was being taken to court for taking her child out of school. She refused to pay the fine, she said, because she tried to get permission to go away but her child's school never replied.
One dad said he was fined £120 for taking his two sons out of school for a week in June. He said: "Saved nearly a thousand pound on the price of the holiday it would have cost me if I took them during the summer holidays. Will carry on doing so as it's still much cheaper even with the fine."
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