School fines 'cheaper than summer holiday'

It comes after we revealed that more than 1,100 parents in the city have been fined a total of £54,000 in the past three years.

The number of parents who have been fined has soared in the past three years from 125 to 698 a year, with most parents paying straight away. In total, 61 of them refused to pay up and were taken to court.

UK Airport Car Parks surveyed 30 parents, and one said: "The trick is to pay the fine straight away and avoid going to court."

The firm found that only found five parents that agreed with the ban on family holidays during term time, while the others believed the ban was unfair and questioned why it still in force.

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Comments were made by some Wolverhampton parents in the survey. A mother-of-two said: "As a single parent my children have not had a holiday since the school ban came into force. My children have to settle for days out as I simply cannot afford to pay more than double the price of a holiday when the children are off school."

Another parent who received a letter for taking his child out of school said it was much cheaper to take his child out of school and pay the fine than pay hundreds more for the same holiday in the summer holidays.

He said: "The trick is, to pay the fine straight away and avoid going to court. I will continue to take my child out of school until the government sees sense and removes the fine system."

Previously, headteachers were allowed to grant 10 days' leave in exceptional circumstances, meaning schools could allow up to two weeks of term time holiday per year. But stricter guidelines were brought in by the Department of Education in 2013 meaning a holiday cannot be classed as an exceptional circumstance.

Councils are obliged by government to fine a parent £60 per child - this rises to £120 if it is not paid within 21 days.

In extreme circumstances, those that fail to pay can face prosecution with a maximum fine of £2,500 or a jail sentence of up to three months.

Chris Fryer, manager of UK Airport Car Parks, said: "The government have only addressed the issue from one side. They are fining parents for taking their children out of school, but haven't done anything to stop holiday companies making ridiculous price hikes.

"Having spoken to quite a few parents, it's clear that a lot of low income families can't afford a holiday in the summer. And they're even finding it works out cheaper if they take their children out of school and pay the fines.

"Before holidays were allowed at the school's discretion, and it was done with a degree of common sense. Obviously children shouldn't be taken out of school at crucial times like when it's coming up to their exams.

"It worked a lot better how they had it before though."