Millions of crucial school days are being lost as parents take their kids out of class in order to bag cheaper holidays.
A staggering 5,148,548 school days were lost through ‘unauthorised term-time holidays’ in the 2021/22 school year, Department for Education data shows.
That represents a big rise on the 3,651,978 days lost during the 2015/16 academic year.
The spike in unauthorised days off comes as costs of holidays continue to rise at rates not seen for many years, and as families remain committed to enjoying some much deserved time off.
Julia Bue-Said, the CEO of the Advantage Travel Partnership, said that that is "such a disparity" between the economic climate in the UK and holiday sales.
"Consumers are not forgoing their holidays. They are doing absolutely everything they can to afford a holiday," she said.
For some parents that means moving their break out of the school holidays when prices are bumped up significantly.
An analysis of package deals currently available shows how much more expensive summer holiday trips away are than those booked during term time.
For example, the Mirror looked at an easyJet package for seven days at the Jasmin Elite Residence and Spa in Bodrum, Turkey.
A holiday at the beginning of August costs £2,889 for two parents and two kids, aged six and ten.
The same holiday costs £1,775 at the beginning of June, meaning families can save more than £1,000 if they're willing to sneak their kids out of school.
A TUI suite package to the Riu Costa del Sol in Spain costs £3,600 for a family of four in August, but £2,680 at the beginning of June.
With Jet2, the Skithos Palace Hotel in Greece costs £200 more in August than at the start of the school year in September.
If parents do take their kids away during term time, they face being disciplined by their school if found out, which includes fines of up to £120 and being required to go on a parenting course.
For some, the cut price of a term time holiday when the annual rate of inflation is above 11% - far higher than average wage rises - is worth the risk.
They may also be incensed be the knowledge that private school pupils who have longer school holidays can be taken away on cheaper breaks during state school term time.
Last year Rachel Smith, from Essex, spoke up after facing backlash for taking her two kids out of school for two holidays. She argued that her children were still "learning" while abroad as they are "learning a new language, they’re learning about a different culture and they’re experiencing the real world".
Rachel compared going away to having chickenpox, suggesting that "nobody worries about their education" when children fall ill.
In a later video the 32-year-old explained that she had received a £60 fine for her son and another for her daughter for their June holiday.
"But still nothing for our May holiday, so I think I’ve got away with that one," she said.
An analysis of government data found that primary school children were more than twice as likely to be taken out of school for a term-time holiday than secondary school pupils.
Chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, Chris McGovern, said: "Parents are valuing a passport to Majorca rather than a passport to the future. ‘Really good parents shouldn’t be taking their children out of school because it does damage them."
Have you been fined for taking your kids out of school for holidays? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com.
