Parents face jail for taking kids out of school for holiday
A couple face jail for taking their children out of school for a week’s holiday.
Stewart and Natasha Sutherland took their three children to Rhodes last September, just days after a new law came into force.
They faced an appearance before magistrates in Telford, Shropshire, yesterday after refusing to pay an initial fine of £360, which then doubled to £720 after 21 days.
It may now go up again to £2,000 and they could both be jailed for up to three months.
Before the change in the law, schools could grant up to 10 term-time days a year for children to go on family holidays.
But under a change in the 1996 Education Act, which came into force on September 1, schools are only allowed to give them leave in "exceptional circumstances".
Mr Sutherland, 39, who works in the Ministry of Defence Guard Service, told Metro it was difficult to get time off at the same time as his wife and children.
"We haven’t been able to get leave in the school holidays at the same time for five years and we desperately needed a family break," he said.
"I know how important education is but family time is important, too. The children’s behaviour and schooling has improved massively since our holiday."
He said while other parents tell the school their children are ill in order to get around the new legislation, he wanted to teach his children the value of honesty.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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