Hell why are these people paying the fines?
As someone has posted the fine is used as an alternative to parents being prosecuted. I assume it's a bit like a fixed penalty don't agree go to court.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8496345.stm
In England, parents can be fined £50 per child if it is paid within 28 days, rising to £100 or a court appearance afterwards.
Snip
Have a care, it looks awfully like you are insinuating that parents who take their children out of school during term time either don't care about their children or are stupid. That may not be your intention but it looks like a rather foolish generalisation as it stands.
If you read the line I think it's quite clear that I'm talking about parents who don't give a stuff about education and this is where state needs to protect the kids.
I'm not the only one who thinks this and it seems to be very much what your parents taught you as to where you lie on the subject, which isn't surprising.
In my opinion you should not have time of, however you are allowed to and most people seem to be missing the point. This fine is only for unauthorised time and instead of prosecution.
But anyway lets get back to the topic of fines and/or prosecutions for unauthorised holidays.
These fines are ridiculous, if someone wants to go on holiday for a week or so then who gives a flying ****.
One week will not impair them in the slightest, it's school,
.
That is fine and allowed. This is unauthorised holidays, not any holidays.
Even if that week is an important dead line or around exams?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8496345.stm
More parents are being fined for taking their children on holiday during term time without permission, figures obtained by the BBC suggest.
"They always seem to take them at key times for the schools, when we're trying to settle them into new environments or they even take them at times that coincide with exams."
But schools are given discretion to agree up to 10 days holiday a year, only if they feel there are exceptional reasons involved.
Some parents just pay the fine and factor it into the cost of the holiday
Head teacher, Julia Tinsley
Some schools take a carrot and stick approach, agreeing to requests for holidays if a child's attendance for the rest of the school year is above 95%.
This is the approach taken at Holly Lodge Girls College in Liverpool. But some parents still ignore the rules.
"Some parents just pay the fine and factor it into the cost of the holiday," said head teacher Julia Tinsley.
But she said sometimes parents do have good reasons for taking holidays in term time.
"We have some parents who are in the police force or fire brigade who have no choice about when to take their holiday, so we do have to be sensible about it."
Most schools have a sensible approach and as long as you are reasonable they will agree to it. i do not see a problem with this system. If you are going to take kids out of school for more than what is allowed or at critical times. Then you are not doing what is in the kids best interest.
I also agree with this
"I'm not sure that it has any effect whatsoever," said Phil Daniels, head teacher at Springwood Heath Primary School in Liverpool.
"Parents know they can save far more than that by taking a holiday in term time.
"It's better to have a good relationship with parents and make them understand that it is not in their child's best interests for them to miss too much school."
The punishment is in effective as it does not achieve anything and also a lot of schools just don't talk to parents and involve them like they used to. But I suppose that is down to school sizes increasing, time and probably some PC stuff.