'I still saved £4,000' - mum calls for school holiday fine change'

A single mother has said she saved nearly £4,000 by taking her children on holiday during term time, and called for reform to the system of fines brought against her and other parents amid what she labelled a travel industry "price trap".

Kashmir, from Willenhall in Walsall, was fined twice for family trips to Florida and Mexico, and said she had been made to feel "like a criminal when I'm only trying to do the best for my children".

Her comments came after BBC analysis found that the number of fines issued to families across the West Midlands for taking children out of school during term time had almost doubled in five years.

Kashmir, 47, said "it's really difficult" for working families to go on holiday during official school break periods as there was a premium, set by the travel industry, on doing so. Leaders in education, however, have argued that missing school can have a significant impact on pupils, with head teachers left feeling like "bad guys" in the middle of a stand off between holiday operators and families looking to save money.

Kashmir, a driving instructor and charity worker, said she saved for seven years to take her daughter, 12, and 18-year-old son on a "once in a lifetime" US trip a week before the start of the summer holidays.

"It worked out £3,900 cheaper to go the week before, which is a massive difference," she said.

"For parents who do send their kids in and they've got a high attendance rate, giving them a five-day break wouldn't affect their education.

"A family holiday isn't educational neglect, it's essential family bonding time and with these fixed penalties, it penalises hardworking families who are priced out by the travel industry."

If a child of compulsory school age misses a week of school for an unauthorised holiday, councils can issue a fine of £80 per parent. The amount rises to £160 if it is not paid within 21 days.

If a parent gets a second fine for the same child in three years, it costs £160 immediately.

Councils in the West Midlands issued 59,440 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for unauthorised holiday absences in the 2024-25 financial year, compared with 30,143 in 2018-19.

Every local authority in the region except Herefordshire recorded an increase in fines during the period.

The figures come amid growing debate over the use of school attendance penalties as more than 138,000 people have signed a petition for school attendance fines to be scrapped.

The government has rejected those calls, saying fines continue to play a "vital" role in ensuring children attend school.

When the BBC published data at the weekend about a spike in fines in the West Midlands, Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said school attendance was directly linked to student performance.

"Just missing one day can have a massive impact," he said.

"This can play a big part in the performance of that student."

He also said fines were not working, and called on ministers to liaise more closely with airlines and travel companies to address sharp price rises during peak holiday periods.

"Parents are being targeted and they're the ones paying the brunt for excessive profits in the travel industry," he said.

"Schools are having to pay the price. Head teachers are left feeling like the bad guys in the middle."

Kashmir said: "We need to bring back the common sense into education instead of turning head teachers into fine collectors.

"The real attendance crisis in schools is some children who persistently don't come into school, which can often be driven by school anxiety and mental health struggles.

"The Florida holiday took me about seven years to save up for because it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip. I will never be able to do it again with my children."

She called for all local authorities to consider reducing the summer break to five weeks and increasing the October half-term to two weeks as seen in some parts of the country.

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