Major update over parents' battle for 10-day term-time holidays with no fine

CALLS TO ALLOW PARENTS TO TAKE THEIR CHILDREN OUT OF SCHOOL FOR UP TO 10 DAYS FINE FREE. 10:29, 21 May 2025 A petition titled 'Allow parents to take their children out of school for up

to 10 days fine free' has been debated by the Labour Party government after it hit 150,000 names. The petition states: "We're seeking reform to the punitive policy for term

time leave that disproportionately impacts families that are already under immense pressure and criminalises parents that we think are making choices in the best interests of their families.

No family should face criminal convictions." The Department for Education responded: "We sympathise with parents who, for a variety of reasons, face barriers to securing their

children’s school attendance. This government is taking a new approach to tackling absence based on responsibility, partnership and belonging. READ MORE NEW UK PRIMARY SCHOOL DINNER RULES

WITH SOME STAPLES BEING 'BANNED' "This involves working with schools and local authorities to tackle barriers to school attendance and ensuring schools are able to deliver an

excellent education, meeting children’s needs and creating a welcoming, engaging and inclusive environment for children. The government takes seriously its responsibility to ensure that

schools are equipped to meet children’s needs and help them succeed, but that is matched by parents’ legal responsibility to send their children to school every day that they can.

"Absence is one of the biggest barriers to success for children and young people, and has soared post-pandemic. It is one of the greatest barriers to opportunity and supporting children

to achieve. The most recent DfE data shows that any increase in absence is associated with dramatic reductions in attainment – children who attend school every day are twice as likely to

achieve good GCSEs compared to those who miss two weeks of school a year. It is not just those who are absent who are impacted. "A steady churn of absences disrupts the learning of

every child disrupting teachers’ ability to plan and sequence learning. It also has a significant detrimental impact on the hard work of school staff to cultivate a sense of community and

belonging. "We know that some pupils face more complex barriers to attendance, including some pupils who have long term physical or mental health conditions or who have special

educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Separately, we know that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds face a wide range of barriers to engagement with education, including insecure

housing, uniform costs, travel costs and food. However, all of these children have the same need and right to a full-time education as any other pupil. "This is why this Government is

determined to break down the barriers to opportunity, by ensuring school is the best place to be for every child. We will deliver free breakfast clubs in primary schools so that every child

is on time and ready to learn, better mental health support through access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. "This government is committed to improving

inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs, restoring parents’ trust that their child

will get the support they need. We have already announced over £1 billion of additional high needs funding for this year to help meet the needs of children with SEND and £740 million to

create additional specialist places, including in mainstream schools. "All of this sits alongside our statutory ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which

recognises that the reasons for absence are varied and dependent on individual circumstances. It sets out that schools, trusts and local authorities should always work together with other

local partners to understand and remove the barriers to attendance, including by having sensitive conversations with the pupil and their family. "The guidance also reminds schools to

consider their obligations under equality law when developing their attendance policies, and has an updated section on additional support for pupils with physical or mental ill health or

SEND, including making formal reasonable adjustments where the pupil has a disability. Article continues below "However, where necessary, it is right that the law protects the child’s

right to a full-time education. It is up to local authorities and schools to decide on the best course of action based on the circumstances of the individual case and what is most likely to

improve attendance. "It is important to emphasise that legal intervention cannot be used for absence that is recorded as authorised by the school (e.g. for illness or where a leave of

absence has been granted). In addition, our new National Framework embeds our wider approach by including an expectation, for cases other than holiday, that support will have already been

provided before a penalty notice is issued. Schools and local authorities are also expected to consider any obligations under the Equality Act 2010 when deciding whether to issue a penalty

notice. "On holidays in particular, we understand that some parents wish to avoid peak periods. However, the school year is structured in such a way as to provide plenty of time

throughout the year for holidays outside of term-time, and schools also have considerable flexibility to plan term dates themselves, and hold inset days and other occasional days at less

busy times of the year".