Crackdown on term-time holidays

Gloucestershire County Council said it is cracking down on parents who take their children out of school for unauthorised holidays.

Between April 2007 and April 2008 11 parents were prosecuted, 32 sent a penalty notice and 103 were given a warning letter.

This compares with three prosecutions, 20 penalty notices and 74 warning letters in the same period 2006/7.

£100 penalty notices are issued to each parent per child for each infringement.

'Disrupt routines'

If the penalty notices are paid within 28 days, the penalty is reduced to £50.

If payment is not made within 42 days, parents may be required to appear before magistrates and, if convicted, each parent may be fined up to £1,000.

A council spokeswoman said it was pleased to see the clampdown on unauthorised holidays.

"Missing school through family holidays can damage a pupil's attainment levels and disrupt school routines and the learning of others, " Cllr Joan Nash said.

"Not only do children miss work while they are away, they are also less prepared for lessons when they return. Poor attainment in school can seriously affect children's longer-term life opportunities," she added.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Gloucestershire County Council
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites