Term-time holiday fines have opposite effect in Wales
A report has found that fining parents for taking children on holiday in term time has actually pushed up the number of unauthorised family trips in Wales.
The Welsh Government, which commissioned the report and surveyed teachers and staff of local authorities and local education consortiums, found incidents increased after fixed penalty notices were introduced in 2013.
Interviewees who took part in the study shared stories about travel agents stumping up for the fines as part of a holiday deal, or of social workers paying fines for families.
Several respondents said the fine of £60 was too low to encourage behaviour change and that parents preferred to pay the amount but pay less for their holiday.
Others complained of fine inconsistencies within the same local authority and even within the same schools, the BBC reported.
A spokesman for the Welsh Government it would consider the proposals in the report alongside other evidence gathered as part of a broader review of attendance policy.
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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