A mum who was fined for taking her daughter to Spain during term time says that she learnt a lot on the trip and it was still cheaper than going during school holidays.
The mum from Hull said the £60 fine she received was nowhere near the elevated costs of going abroad during holiday periods - and that she could not have afforded to go then, reported HullLive.
She claimed that her daughter learnt some Spanish and a lot about the culture and food which she would not have been able to do at school.
Other parents on social media have also said they have taken their kids out of school during term time and they would do it again as it is cheaper despite the fines that rise to £120.
Some blamed travel companies for jacking up prices during popular times of the year.
The debate follows the publication of figures from Hull City Council, which showed 34 parents were prosecuted and 937 received fixed penalty notices in 2021-22 - of those 610 had primary age children and 327 had pupils at secondary school.
A total of £33,660 in fines were netted during the same period.
The woman wrote in a Facebook comment that she felt her family needed a break after two years of coronavirus disruption. She agreed that school was important, but believed there were other things in the world children needed to see and be taught.
She wrote: "She learnt so much about Spanish culture, learnt some Spanish and tried lots of new foods. Secondly the £60 fine didn't come close to the savings I made. I wouldn't have been able to go if not during term time."
Other Hull parents also weighed in on the issue with one saying she was being taken to court for taking her child out of school. She said she refused to pay the fine because she tried to get permission to go away but her child's school never replied.
One dad said he was fined £120 for taking his two sons out of school for a week in June.
He said: "Saved nearly a thousand pound on the price of the holiday it would have cost me if I took them during the summer holidays. Will carry on doing so as it's still much cheaper even with the fine."
Cllr Linda Tock, Hull City Council's education portfolio holder, reportedly said she was shocked by the number of fines issued.
The council wanted to address the issue in a supportive way and it was looking at school policies on attendance to standardise their response to term time holidays, she added.
"I was really surprised that the number of fines has gone up so much in recent years. The issue is that some schools tend to be accommodating of parents and holidays and they'll look at a child's attendance record. Others will just resort to a fine straight away, so there's a disparity there," she said.
The FPNs were introduced in 2013 to crack down on holidays taken outside of school summer breaks. Councils can issue FPNs worth £60 per parent, rising to £120 if not paid within 28 days. Parents who fail to pay after 28 days can be taken to court.
