'I’m a circus acrobat – I can't do college holidays'

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Elix Hattenstone and Christian Johnson

BBC News

In the sunglasses, the handout Mam took out the tongue smiling with the daughter on her shoulders. Their arms are indicating peace, there is a body of water behind them and blue sky. Theisis

Kelly says that he works arduous and it’s important that he’s discharged

Many households battle to journey throughout college holidays as a result of value. For Mam Kelly, that is his work as a circus acrobat.

She says, “I work seven days a week and exit only from January and February every year.”

The 32 -year -old was fined in January 2024 to take his daughter Kada out of college for a two -week vacation in Canary Islands.

There is a major college in Kaida, which she participates within the week from Wednesday to Friday.

On Monday and Tuesday, she is registered with different faculties throughout the nation as she follows the trail of journey circus along with her mam.

Earlier this week, the Education Department (DFE) information launched prolonged the variety of fines launched for unauthorized college holidays in England to 443,322 final 12 months.

The figures of 2023-24 college 12 months present a rise of 24% a 12 months in the past, and are thrice larger than in 2016-17, when authorities data began.

Schools and councils say that kids shouldn’t be out of sophistication over time as a result of influence on their schooling.

The authorities says that the penalty is a vital place in our system, so kids are held accountable to make sure kids in class “.

Education Secretary Bridget Philipson says that the problem of school absence has become a “epidemic”.

There are a picture of Kelly performing in the circus. She is wearing a white two piece and hangs from a circle that she is holding with her hands. She is smiling in the crowd.Theisis

Mam Kelly says that she is closed only on January and February to take a holiday with her daughter.

Kelly says that it is important for her that Keda is in full -time education, but she says it is tired.

“She January and February are tremendous necessary to us, for that downtime,” she says.

She says that she does not agree with every parent whenever she wants her child to get her child out of school, but believes that if a parent can prove that they can prove to be school holidays If you are unable to withdraw time during, a term-time holiday should be provided.

Kelly says that Qaeda enjoys school and “likes to fulfill new individuals and meet the nation” as she follows the circus with her mother.

With the cost of going away during school holidays, some families say that they take their children on leave because they Struggle to deal with busy crowd,

But many parents also told the BBC that their work commitments make them more difficult to take time during the holidays.

'Savings of £ 7,000 was a no-braveer'

Linda Castle sits on the stairs of an amphitheater of an amphitheater. Father has brown hair hair and is wearing a purple T-shirt in the foreground. Four children, two boys and two girls of different age sit in the background. Two older children are wearing sunglasses.Linda Castle

Linda and Nick Castle say that it was cheaper to go on leave for two weeks instead of just one week during the October half term.

Linda Castle and her husband Nick run a coffee rooster in Leeds and say their “busiest time of the 12 months” is the summer holidays when they work on festivals across the UK.

“We do about six festivals and we solely obtained a 4 -day break in the course of it,” she says.

The couple say they were “at all times by e-book” with their four children and did not take any of them out of school for a holiday before last October.

But when the family got a deal, which would save them around £ 7,000 for all the two-week inclusive holiday for Tunisia, Linda says it was a “no-grain”.

He dropped all four children from school for two weeks, the first of which was before the half-incomplete break.

“Made reminiscences, we frolicked with youngsters … what worth do you retain on it?”

Despite the fine system, every parent can be fined £ 80 per child, the family was imposed only £ 80.

“We have simply handled as one tax,” Linda says.

'We are lambing during school holidays'

There is a selfie taken by Mummy Lucy who is smiling next to her young son Oli, who has little golden hair. They are sitting next to a grass bundle in a barnTheisis

Mommy says Lucy

“It is troublesome to get far-off throughout college holidays how we domesticate.”

“The week from which we go away for 10 days in January is necessary for us.”

The 38-year-old says that the school is understanding the conditions of the farming family-but cannot authorize their absence.

“In February, when a half -term comes, we begin giving sheep to a whole lot of our occasions first, by Easter we’re making our second lot,” she says.

“By half the interval of May, my husband is normally stitching, as soon as we attain in summer season it’s hymming and harvest. Half interval of October, he normally drills crops for subsequent 12 months's crop Doing, and just lately we domesticate turkey on Christmas. “

Lucy's family got a punishment of £ 240 for her final holiday and £ 120 for one before that. But she says the penalty was worth it.

But she says that she is worried about taking her children out of school in future.

She says, “I don't need to hold a legal document, however after we come close to it we are going to cross that bridge.”

She says that the rules should be responsible for different circumstances of different families.

“I believe particularly with agricultural households, that we’re all in the identical boat,” she says.

How much penalty do you get to take a child out of school for a holiday?

In August 2024, DFE introduced a new national structure, in which the councils were brought more to each other and Fines from £ 60 to £ 80 for the first time,

However, it says that it is the responsibility of the local authority to decide to issue a fine to the parents.

The government says, in most cases, school and local officials will try to help help to help improve the presence of a child-but if it is ineffective or the absence is for an unauthorized time-to-time holiday, then Parents may face fines.

According to DFE Guidelines released in August 2024:

  • Schools should consider penalty if a child remembers unauthorized for five or more days.
  • Penalty for payment within 21 days is paid £ 80, or £ 160 within 28 days
  • If the parents get a second fine for the same child in three years, then its price is immediately £ 160.
  • For the third unauthorized absence, other action such as prosecution is considered. The presence of a court may result in a fine of up to £ 2,500.

DFE says that money goes to the local authority from the fine.

Education Secretary Bridget Philipson has said “We want a nationwide effort to take care of the absence of college”.

“When kids unnecessarily bear in mind the college, all the youngsters are struggling, as a result of the eye of the academics is taken to assist them catch them, and we won’t apologize for positive that each little one within the college To attain excessive and rising requirements in order that they’ll obtain and thrive, “he is added.

However, the General Secretary of the School Leaders Union, Paul Whitman, the National Association of Head Teachers, said the fine is “a crude device” that “doesn’t handle the extra advanced underlying causes of absence.”

He says that community services require more resources “to supply important help with points that may have an effect on kids's college's presence”.

With inputs from BBC

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