Birmingham City Council warn parents over 'tempting' term-time holidays as new rule comes in

Leanne Bray took her family to Benidorm days after school returned from the summer holidays.
-Credit: (Image: Family Handout)


Birmingham City Council has issued a firm warning to parents considering a term-time holiday - saying ‘legal action’ will be taken against rule-breakers. It comes after the government hiked fines for unauthorised holidays from £60 to £80 per child.

The fines, bought in to curb a rise in absenteeism, will be doubled if a parent commits another offence within three years - with a third fine putting parents at risk of prosecution. In a letter sent to parents this week, the city council urged parents to refrain from booking a holiday during term-time, despite the savings on offer from booking outside of peak holiday season.

Despite the new rules, some parents have told BirminghamLive the rule changes are not a deterrent, with many families eager to avoid higher holiday prices. Nearly 400,000 penalty notices were issued to parents in England for unauthorised school absences during the 2022-23 academic year.

READ MORE: 'Good for her' - Brummies back Benidorm rule-breaker mum on second term time holiday

In a letter sent to parents this week, Birmingham City Council said: “It may be tempting to book a family holiday in term time to save on costs during the cost of living crisis. However, family holidays in term time are not allowed in law and are very unlikely to be authorised.

“Taking children on leave without applying for authorisation may mean the school has to report your child as missing to the local authority and holidays cannot be authorised retrospectively in law. Adding even more absence to the time children have already missed only means that the children miss even more lessons that will not be repeated.”

Leanne Bray, from Chelmsley Wood, is one parent who has already defied new government rules to take her children on holiday during term time. She previously told BirminghamLive: "I don't think these new fines will make much of a difference, people will pay them because the cost of a holiday in term time is much cheaper than during the summer holiday.”

The council said fines and legal action would be considered for parents who break rules around term-time holidays.
The council said fines and legal action would be considered for parents who break rules around term-time holidays. -Credit:Copyright Unknown

In the letter, the council says all parents have a responsibility to keep their children in school. The letter continues: “Please note that where parents fail to ensure their child attends school regularly, legal action, including penalty notices, may be considered. New regulations also mean that children on extended periods of leave may lose their school place where there is no evidence of a timely return to school or the date provided is too far away.”

Latest figures show around one in 10 pupils are ‘persistently absent’ from school, missing at least 10% of days. Parents now face an £80 fine - an increase of £20 - if their child is absent without a valid reason for five days in a 10-week period.