A MUM who took her daughter to Spain during the school term says she doesn't mind paying the £60 fine.
Bekki, from Hull, is confident her daughter learned more during their trip than she would have in class – and says she still saved money on the holiday overall.
After two years of Coronavirus, Bekki felt her family needed a break.
Although she believes school is important, the mum also sees the value in giving her daughter an experience that can't be taught at school.
Bekki said: "She learnt so much about Spanish culture, learnt some Spanish and tried lots of new foods.
"Secondly the £60 fine didn't come close to the savings I made. I wouldn't have been able to go if not during term time."
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In a discussion on Facebook, other parents shared reasons behind their decisions to head abroad during the school term – and what the consequences were.
Hull dad Steven Nelson was forced to pay £120 for taking his two sons out of school for a week in June.
He said: "Saved nearly a thousand pound on the price of the holiday it would have cost me if I took them during the summer holidays. Will carry on doing so as it's still much cheaper even with the fine."
The issue is concerning the Hull City Council which prosecuted 34 parents for taking kids out of class and issued 937 fixed penalty notices for allowing them to miss lessons in 2021.
A total of £33,660 in fines were netted during the same period, according to Hull Daily Mail.
Cllr Linda Tock, Hull City Council's education portfolio holder, said the high numbers are concerning.
She said: "I was really surprised that the number of fines has gone up so much in recent years.
"The issue is that some schools tend to be accommodating of parents and holidays and they'll look at a child's attendance record. Others will just resort to a fine straight away, so there's a disparity there.
"What I'd say to parents is that they really should speak to their child's school to work something out that's best for everyone.
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"But because we know there's a disparity, not only on term time holidays but also on how schools deal with attendance generally, we're looking at a city-wide strategy to address it."
Cllr Tock acknowledged there could be many reasons why parents are letting their kids have the time away from school, but says the law is for children to be there and it's the local authorities job to enforce that.
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