Couple fined £240 over holiday that had to be changed because of terror attack

Debbie Proudler and her husband Lee had booked to take sons Lewis, 13, and Ellis, 10, to Egypt's Sharm El Sheikh, but the Kingswinford's family was cancelled in the wake of an Isis attack on a Russian jet.

Holbeach Travel, which booked the holiday, subsequently rearranged it for another Egyptian destination.

However, the Stourbridge-based firm was only able to fly the family out a day earlier than originally planned, to Hurghada rather than Sharm.

Initially, Lewis and Ellis were set to miss four days of the last week of the Christmas term, but under the new plans they actually missed the whole school week.

While both boys' schools approved the original break, Blanford Mere Primary in Kingswinford - where Ellis goes - refused to authorise a fifth day.

Mrs Proudler argued terrorism was an exceptional circumstance for her son to miss an extra day, but the school held firm.

Two days after Ellis returned to school, an education officer was sent to hand out the fine.

Business owner Mrs Proudler said: "I cannot see how the school would not consider terrorism to be on the list of exceptional circumstances.

"Ellis was going to be out of school during term-time, but the time period was under the threshold to be fined.

"But after the tour operator told us we had to move the holiday by a day, we had no option but to accept it.

"We would have lost thousands of pounds by cancelling the holiday, but the school couldn't see that the terrorism threat level was a reason for Ellis to be authorised for a day of absence.

"When I explained to the officer that our holiday date had been moved by the tour operator because of the terror threat level, she said that she would give me time to speak to the school and get them to authorise it.

"But the school have refused to budge on the matter.

"I was told to send a letter to the governors, but it took so long to be seen to, that Lee and I then had our original £60 fines doubled to £240.

"It's upset my sons too as the letter that I was sent from the council claimed that I had committed a criminal offence. It's ridiculous.

Nikki Miller, head teacher at the school, said: "Good attendance in school is vital for an all-round education, and it is something we pride ourselves on.

"These national rules are set by government and apply to all schools up and down the country.

"The rules make it impossible for us to agree for children to have time off during school term, unless there are exceptional circumstances which does not include family holidays.

"As this is government policy we will continue to enforce this requirement.

"Thankfully, the vast majority of parents at the school share our vision for making the education of children through regular attendance, a top priority."

Lucy Bate, from Holbeach Travel, said: "Due to the horrendous atrocities that occurred in Sharm El Sheikh the British Foreign Office took the decision to stop all British planes going there, which meant Mrs Proudler and her family were no longer able to go.

"They were allowed only to amend their holiday, not to cancel it. We, Holbeach Travel, worked closely together with Mrs Proudler to try and find a suitable alternative and the only one available was the holiday they had to take to Hurghada.

"I am appalled Mrs Proudler has been issued a fine for something that was completely out of hers, and the whole of the UK's control.

"We are governed by the UK Foreign Office, if they advise it is unsafe for customers to travel to countries with terrorism and other issues, we have to abide by their rules."