THERE are certain things that people should be aware of when they bring a child into the world. One is that holidays are more expensive at peak times, ie, out of school terms.

You could argue that it’s not fair, but it’s the way it is. The travel industry is big business, and inevitably holiday costs are going to be higher in school holidays, when more people are travelling.

The issue is under the spotlight again, following last week’s Supreme Court ruling when a father lost a landmark legal battle after taking his daughter for a term-time holiday to Disney World. The ruling clarifies that any parent whose child misses school without permission could be fined, or face prosecution.

Under the ruling, parents should not take their child out of lessons without the headteacher’s approval, and it’s down to schools to set their own rules on “regular” attendance.

Some parents will no doubt continue to take their children away during term-time, opting to pay a fine in order to take advantage of cheaper holiday prices. But why should parents be allowed to take their children out of school whenever they feel like it? It sets off a ripple of disruption that must impact on the whole class; not only does it break the continuity of their own child’s education, other children in the class are bound to be affected too.

How does a teacher’s lesson-planning account for helping absent children to catch up once they’ve returned from a term-time holiday? If pupils were allowed to come and go on holiday all the time, the much-needed routine and discipline of a classroom would soon disintegrate.

I know a teacher who says even a day’s absence affects a child’s learning process, so breaking off from school for a week or fortnight must be very harmful. Yet figures published by the Department for Education last month showed that around a million schoolchildren missed lessons last year after taking family trips during term-time.

A child’s education should be the priority of parents, not two weeks of roller-coasters and selfies with Mickey Mouse.

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