When their school year starts in January, Lisa Francesca Nand's two sons are sick. Except they won't: they'll actually be in southern Spain with their family, enjoying a bit of sun - no back-to-school blues for them, and no guilt for her. Well, maybe a little.
"I've often taken the kids out of school during school hours and felt a bit guilty - but I went ahead and did it," says Nand, "but it's the difference between going and not going - and we can do that too. can't afford to go if we don't travel on time."
Rather than being fined by their school for unauthorized absences, Nand plans to register them as unwell for the first two days of the school year. "I can't believe I'm actually saying this in public," she laughs, "but yes, I'm going to call them in sick in January. I'm sorry to say it, but while I'll probably feel guilty for bending the truth, this is the best I can do.
The trip is booked for December 30 and requires a two-day sick leave - but the difference between that and traveling during the school holidays is "several hundred pounds", says Nand, a broadcaster and presenter of The Big Travel Podcast.
It will also be more than 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 forego a Christmas trip to see them just 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 the school year - although I wouldn't be opposed to that if that was the only way we could do that. No, we'll talk for a few days here and there so my kids can spend quality time with their grandparents, who are in their 80s. They'll never make it [opportunity] again."
Holidays are always a topic of great discussion - and that number is increasing, according to new figures from the Ministry of Education. In the 2022-2023 academic year, a record high of 350,000 parents in England were fined for taking their children out of school to travel: 20 percent more than in 2018-19, the last full year of fines before the pandemic hit.
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While private schools have their own rules, state schools are allowed to penalize families for absences: £60 per child, per parent, doubled to £120 if payment is not made within 21 days. If the fines are outstanding, parents can also be prosecuted.
But for many families, the savings associated with traveling during school term far outweigh the risk of a fine. Let's say you were craving some Jamaican sun next winter. Via Tui, seven nights all-inclusive at Bahia Principe Grand Jamaica - a resort with three large pools and an 800-metre beach - from December 27, 2024 costs £2,016 per person, based on two adults and two children sharing a Junior Suite, a total of £8,062. However, if you move your dates up a week and move the trip closer to 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 'Holiday holiday cost comparison' table below for more information.
For Laura Marfell-Williams, postponing her family's annual ski trip from early January until the school holidays would add £1,000 to her £4,735 bill - but her decision to travel during the school year is not motivated by money. "We are going with my sister, who is an assistant principal, and she obviously wouldn't dream of missing two days of classes," she explains. "However, her term dates are different to my children's, so she 'pulls rank' and we plan around her availability: we are booked from December 30 to January 6, so my girls will miss two days of school as an unexcused absence."
The prospect of a default fine is "a drop in the bucket when it comes to ski holidays," says Marfell-Williams, a self-employed PR consultant. "It all has to do with the certainty of snow and the availability of my sister, because last year we went skiing and there was no snow."
Does she feel guilty about booking a holiday trip? "Absolutely not. I think the time you spend skiing is much more valuable than the first two days back at school. My parents were both teachers so we only went away during the school holidays and I really try to do the same, but I I'm also a big believer in travel, immersion in other cultures and languages - and taking the opportunity to spend time with family when you can."
Since the pandemic, there has been a "radical shift" in attitudes towards when children should go to school, new research found in September. The Public First study found that the cost difference between school and school holiday travel "had the biggest impact [former] option that is impossible to ignore."
The results also showed that many parents no longer feel that ensuring their child's daily school attendance is fundamental to good parenting, and that holidays are 'now completely socially acceptable for all socio-economic groups'.
However, that attitude is not always clearly visible at the school gate, says style advisor Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey, who has two daughters aged nine and seven and a son aged three. "I did it once, for the holiday of a lifetime to the Maldives in February 2022. I definitely felt the need to spice up the trip. There were a lot of 'we'll never do a trip like that again!' comments to my friends upon pick up.
"My justification to the school staff and friends who might have raised an eyebrow was that my children would learn more in those ten days than they would in the classroom - and they did."
With holiday costs rising, the Chadwyck-Healey family could consider a second term trip next year. "When I look at the school calendar, I have noticed that the Easter holidays in 2024 are less well timed. I imagine it would be about 30-50 percent cheaper to go to school during school hours, which is a huge difference for a family of five.
"Soon the children will go to secondary school and take exams, and they will probably feel that missing school is holding them back. So this window we're in is limited. We know ourselves well enough as parents - just like the principal - that we will make up the reading, the writing and the math. The last thing I want is for my children to fall behind."
