Cumbria County Council is piloting a scheme to offer discounted family holidays during the summer break in an effort to reduce absence from school during term time.
The scheme has been set up by the Department of Education and Skills (DfES) and The Association of British Travel agents (ABTA). The DfES has initiated some agreements to discount children’s places for holidays taken in the school summer holidays, if they are pre-booked in March.
County councillor Joan Stocker, cabinet member for education said:
" I am pleased that the county council is supporting this initiative and piloting this scheme to help parents in Cumbria. It is tempting for parents to take their children out of school for family holidays to take advantage of the significant discounts available, but parents also need to weigh these savings against the cost of lost education. Vital teaching may be lost, social groups may establish whilst their child’s away, it may also set a bad example to younger pupils who, when older, also think they can justify not going school and end up truanting.
I do appreciate that we as a county provide holidays for others and lots of people in Cumbria work in the holiday trade making it harder to take a break in school holidays. However regular school attendance is so important for children to make sure they get the best possible opportunity to achieve their full potential."
Stephen Mason, Cumbria County Council's senior education officer for attendance and exclusion said:
"Cumbria County Council welcomes this positive action to counter balance the market forces and offset the financial penalty for parents who place a high value on their child’s education and take their family holiday in school holiday times. We want to remind parents that they should discuss with their child’s headteacher before booking any holiday in term time, to consider the impact of taking their child out of school."
The County Council has produced a leaflet providing information from ABTA and DfES about participating travel agents locally and nationally involved in the scheme. This leaflet is available from local education offices or from the website www.cumbria.gov.uk/education/welfare/schoolattendance.asp.