Any parent will know that going away during the school holidays can drastically increase the cost of any holiday.
But there’s one mum who refuses to pay the extortionate prices and instead takes her children abroad during term-time – saving around £10,000 in the process.
Catherine Warrilow says she has taken her two sons Noah, 14, and Sully, 10, out of school at least once a year for the past decade and has not been fined once.
The law says families can be fined £60 for taking a child out of education without their school’s permission, increasing to £120 if not paid within 28 days. Parents could also be prosecuted for a child’s absence from school.
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But Catherine argues that the trips are just as valuable as her children's time in school - and that her kids have never fallen behind.
“We've chosen to do this so that we can maximise time together as a family around work and other commitments,” the mum, who is the managing director of Altrincham-based daysout.com, a company which sells tickets for popular attractions and experiences across the UK, said. “Yes, it saves us money, but there are multiple reasons that we make this choice.”
The 43-year-old insists she only ever takes her sons out of education for a few days' maximum – either at the end of the February half-term or the summer holidays.
While the family are yet to be fined for unauthorised absences, Catherine says she has been called into a meeting at school to discuss the non-attendance.
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.
“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,” she added.
“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.”
Catherine says the main reason for taking her children on holiday during term-time is cost. Depending on flight times and where she wants to go, she says she can save up to £2,000 a time doing things her way, including trips to Egypt, Mexico and Lanzarote.
She also believes travel is deeply enriching for her children – offering them the opportunity to experience other cultures around the world.
“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,” she said.
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.
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