BBCThe number of fines issued to parents in Hull who took their children on a holiday during term-time has increased by more than 60% in the last academic year.
Hull City Council handed out 4,190 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) in 2024-25 compared with 2,574 in 2023-24, according to data obtained by the BBC.
As part of government changes implemented in August 2024, FPNs are given when a child registers 10 unauthorised half-day school absences, or five full days.
Hull City Council said fines for unauthorised term-time holidays were in line with the Department for Education’s guidance to “promote consistent school attendance and ensure that all children benefit from uninterrupted learning.”
The fine for a first FPN is £80 per parent per child, £20 higher than in 2023-24.
Mother-of-three Amy Landsbury, 37, was issued with a £320 fine in October 2024 for taking two of her daughters out of primary school in Hull to go on a week-long caravan holiday to Wales to visit their grandparents.
“My husband is a lorry driver and he only gets allocated time off throughout the year so it was one of the only weeks he could have off work,” Ms Landsbury said.
“It does annoy me because we weren’t jet-setting off abroad, we were just going to see family and both the girls’ grandparents are elderly.
“You need to have a break with your family and I don’t think people should be penalised for that.”
Daisy Robson took her five-year-old daughter out of reception class in June to go on a family holiday to Majorca because the savings of going in term-time outweighed the cost of a fine.
“We are a married couple so it’s a £160 fine we are expecting,” Ms Robson said.
“I put my case forward that my daughter would keep up with her learning while we were away because she is doing amazing at school and we knew as parents it wasn’t going to affect her learning so to hear that it went down as an unauthorised absence is disappointing but we thought we are still saving hundreds of pounds.”
She added: “It feels like you can’t even have a family holiday without getting a bill through from local government but then nothing is being done to cap holiday costs.”
Hull travel agent Andrew Earle said the temptation to find a cheap deal was there for families.
“A holiday to Majorca for example in high season next August for a week all-inclusive for two adults and two children, you’re looking at around £3,500,” he said.
“If you pull that back to the middle of June next year, the price comes in around £2,400 so a thousand pounds difference for the sake of taking your children out of school four weeks before the kids break up compared to going in the height of season.”
Government guidelines state each parent will only get up to two fines for the same child in a three-year period.
If a parent gets a second fine within three years it will be £160.
If a child is off school three or more times within the three year period, the parents will not be fined but may be taken to court.
