by When their school term starts in January, Lisa Francesca Nand’s two sons will be sick free. Except they won’t: they’ll be in southern Spain with their family, enjoying the sunshine – no back-to-school blues for them, and she’ll have no guilt. Well, maybe a little.
“I’ve often taken the kids out of school during term time, and I’ve felt a bit guilty – but I’ve still gone ahead and done it,” says Nand, “but it’s the difference between going and not go – and we can. we can’t afford to go if we don’t travel in time.”
Rather than being fined by their schools for unauthorized absence, Nand plans to register them as sick for the first two days of term. “I can’t believe I’m actually saying this publicly,” she laughs, “but yeah, I’ll be calling them sick in January. I’m sorry to say it, but although I’ll probably feel guilty for bending the truth, it’s the best thing to do.”
The trip is booked for December 30, and will require two days’ sick leave – but the difference between that and traveling during the school holidays is “hundreds of pounds”, says Nand, broadcaster and presenter of The Big Travel Podcast .
It will also be just a holiday, she says: “My parents live in Spain, so it’s about spending time together as a family. I’m not going to forget the Christmas trip to see them because flights are too expensive if we stick to the school holidays.
“It’s not like we’re going to the US for a three-week holiday in the middle of term – although I wouldn’t be against that if it was the only way we could do it. No, we’re talking about a few days here and there, for my kids to spend quality time with their grandparents, who are in their 80s. They will never get that [opportunity] again.”
Term-time holidays are always a hot topic of debate – and they are increasing, according to new figures from the Department for Education. In the 2022-23 academic year, a record 350,000 parents in England were fined for taking their children out of school to travel: 20 per cent more than in 2018-19, the last full year fines before the pandemic.
While private schools have their own rules, state schools are allowed to penalize families for absences: £60 per child, parent, double to £120 if not paid within 21 days. If fines are still outstanding, parents can also be prosecuted.
But, for many families, the savings of traveling during the term far outweigh the risk of a fine. Let’s say you want the Jamaican sun next winter. Through Tue, seven nights all-inclusive at Bahia Principe Grand Jamaica – a resort with three huge pools and a 2,600ft beach – costs £2,016 per person from 27 December 2024, based on two adults and two children sharing a Junior Suite , complete. £8,062. However, if you move your dates by one week and push the trip into term, the price drops by almost £3,000: a total of £5,175, or £1,356 per person. And that’s just one example: see the “Term holiday cost comparison” table below for more.
Above shows the total cost of a holiday for a family of four (two adults, two children aged nine and seven). Prices include flights and shared room/suite. Dates in 2024, unless otherwise stated.
For Laura Marfell-Williams, postponing her family’s annual ski trip from early January to the school holidays would add £1,000 to the £4,735 bill – but her decision to travel during the term is not motivated by money. “We go with my sister, who is an assistant principal, and obviously she wouldn’t dream of missing two days of teaching,” she explains. “However, her due dates are different from my children’s, so she ‘pulls a step’ and we plan to be available: we are booked from December 30 to January 6, so my girls skipping two days of school as an unauthorized absence. .”
An absentee fine is “a ski holiday drop in the ocean”, says self-employed PR consultant Marfell-Williams. “It’s all about snow guarantees and my sister’s availability, because last year we went skiing at half term and there was no snow.”
Is she guilty of booking a term trip? “Not true. I think the time spent skiing is much more valuable than the first two days back at school. My parents were teachers, so we only went away during the school holidays and I try to do the same, but I also strongly believe in travel, immersion in other cultures and languages - and building the opportunity to spend time with. family when you can.”
Since the pandemic, there has been a “radical shift” in attitudes about when children should be in school, new research showed in September. A Community First study found that the cost difference between term-time travel and school holidays made “the [former] the option cannot be ignored”.
The results also showed that many parents no longer feel that ensuring a child’s daily attendance at school is fundamental to good parenting, and that term-time holidays are “now completely socially acceptable in all socio-economic groups”.
That attitude doesn’t always show up at the school gate, however, says style consultant Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey, who has two daughters aged nine and seven and a three-year-old son. “I did it once, for the holiday of a lifetime to the Maldives in February 2022. I definitely felt the need to make the trip. There was a lot of ‘we’ll never do a trip like this again!’ comments for my friends are gathering up.
“My justification to the school staff, and to friends who might have raised an eyebrow, was that my children would learn more in those 10 days than they could in the classroom – and they did.”
With holiday costs rising, the Chadwyck-Healey family could consider taking a second term trip next year. “Checking the school calendar, I noticed that the Easter holidays are not as good in 2024. I think it would be around 30-50 per cent cheaper to go during the term, which is very difference for a family of five.
“Before long, the children will be entering senior school and exams, and they will probably feel that absence during term time is holding them back. So this window we are in is limited. We know ourselves well as parents – as does the principal – that we will make up reading, writing, mathematics. The last thing I want is for my children to fall behind.”
