I take my kids on holidays during term time – and it's saved me £10,000 over the years | The Sun

A MUM has explained how she's saved more than £10,000 in the past nine years by taking her kids on holiday during term time.

Mum Catherine, 43, said she often booked trips outside of the school breaks with her two kids Noah, 14, and Sully 9.

The family has been on trips to places such as Egypt, Lanzarote and Mexico together over the years.

Catherine, who works at daysout.com, said she saves as much as £2,000 a time, what with the school term time being much cheaper than the peak season.

She told MyLondon: "We feel comfortable as a family that our children’s education isn’t going to suffer as a result, we’re happy to make that decision."

She did add that they wouldn't do it during exams or if there was something important at school, but she said there is "nothing you can't catch up on".

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She also said it is only usually a few days she takes off from school, usually at either end of the half term or summer holiday period.

But Catherine has run into some complaints, both from other parents – who claim they shouldn't be missing school – and from some of her kids' schools.

Of the three schools her kids have been to, she said the response has ranged from "having to put [trips] in writing to needing to go to a formal meeting" because the schools didn't allow unauthorised absences.

Catherine defended their holidays, adding: "We are both very proactive with their learning, whether that is teaching them the value of money when we eat out, working out how much the bill came to each, reading with them, [or] taking them to new places."

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She isn't the only parent to do this with their kids.

Mum Catherine Lofthouse also shared how she save thousands of pounds by travelling with her kids during term time.

She told Sun Online Travel: "Family time is a precious thing and it won't be long before I have teenagers who no longer want to have fun with Mum and Dad.

"I don't believe that my children's education only takes place in a classroom. There's a whole wide world out there to show them, and whatever work they miss at school can easily be done when we get home."

And Clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly said it was a good thing to do – she told Travel + Leisure: “As a clinical psychologist, parent, former teacher and former school counsellor, I absolutely believe that there can be substantial benefits to pulling children out of school for travel.

"Since travel is more affordable – and thus more accessible – to families while school is in session, parents are able to take children to places that couldn’t afford otherwise."

Families wanting to do the same will need to check the rules of their schools.

Parents are reminded that taking young children out of school during term time is an offence that carries with it a £120 fine.

Some families have had less success with term time holidays.

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One mum slammed a primary school for refusing to let her take her daughter on a "once in a lifetime" holiday during term time.

Plus another was told she couldn't take her son out of school for their last ever holiday together because it’s not "exceptional circumstances".

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