A mum-of-two who takes her children on holidays during term time says she has saved £10,000 in doing so. Catherine Warrilow says she has never been fined for taking her two sons out of school for trips.
The mum claims she takes Noah, 14, and Sully, 10, out of school for trips abroad at least once a year, and has done so for the last ten years. By law, parents can be fined £60 for taking kids out of school during term time, and it can increase to £120 if not paid within 28 days.
But Catherine, who is the managing director of daysout.com, a company that sells tickets for attractions and experiences across the UK, says holidays are just as educational as classes, and that her sons have never fallen behind. She said: “We've chosen to do this so that we can maximise time together as a family around work and other commitments.
“Yes, it saves us money, but there are multiple reasons that we make this choice.” Catherine, aged 43, says she only takes her children out of school for a few days, either at the end of the February half-term or the summer holidays.
Although she hasn't been fined, Catherine says she has been called into meetings by the school to discuss unauthorised absences. But after explaining what the absence is for, she says she's never had any issues - and that she's never had to deal with any negative comments from other parents about her term-time getaways, the Manchester Evening News reports.
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She said: “Our kids have never fallen behind, missed homework or been disciplined at school for lack of commitment or attitude to learning - that's far more important to us than missing a few days at the start or end of term.
“If we persistently took our children into school late in the morning or they were routinely off on a regular basis then I'd absolutely expect there to be consequences as I do believe that has a far more disruptive effect.” The main reason Catherine chooses term time is because of the costs.
Flights and hotels are much cheaper during term time dates than they are during the school holidays. She says she can save up to £2,000 a time doing things her way, including trips to Egypt, Mexico and Lanzarote.
She said: "Children should enjoy school and ours largely do, but they should also enjoy the reward of a holiday with their family and the chance to learn about things outside the classroom - and that gives kids limitless potential for their future in my eyes.” The law currently states that once a child is registered at a school, families must send them to school every day and on time.
The law changed in September 2013 and schools no longer have the freedom to allow parents to take their children out of school for up to ten days in term-time. Parents can only request to take their children out of school in "exceptional circumstances" by writing to the headteacher.
The head will consider any application carefully and look at the reasons why, the effect on a child's education, the number of days a child will be away and a child’s attendance record. The head will tell a parent when their child must be back in school.
Previously, heads could grant 10 days of authorised absence but they are now unable to grant any at all.
