WITH regard to the the recent ruling that it is now a crime to take children out of school during term time, and the same for the children to be late turning up for school.

 

We will receive a financial penalty for this under the current law.

Whilst I can understand and agree that our children should attend school without unauthorised time off, I can help but feel that this argument and law is very one sided.

I’m not going to get into the discussion about holidays during term time, and the financial cost of doing this, both with penalties and with the vast differences in cost to actually get away for a short break as this argument has been heard many many times.

I want to draw your attention to the fact that we have just received a notification from my daughter’s C of E Primary school advising us that the school will be closed on June 8 following the decision to hold a general election.

Our daughter’s school is being used as a polling station and will be closed on this day. We have no choice in this matter.

However, doesn’t it feel wrong that the government are not happy to allow our children to have time off to go on a family holiday, but they will happily close for a General Election?

This will result in either myself or my wife having to take time off work to look after the children, which will result in one of us losing money.

It all seems a little bit hypocritical.

We take the children away on holiday in term time - we receive a fine which costs us money.

You close the school for a day - we take time off work which costs us money.

We take the kids away because it’s cheaper in term time after having lost money on both of the above - we get fined which costs us money.

It’s a cycle that only appears to cost us money.

I’m sure that there are many disused buildings/offices that have fallen foul of any government and forced to closed that could be used, together with community centres or even churches.

I’d like to hear our MP’s response on what we are expected to do as parents so that there is a better balance between time off and school attendance going forward.

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