What vitriol Jenny! We would never get a holiday if we didn't take our children out of school. We are both self employed and work in the tourist industry so taking time off during school holidays is not an option. From March to November each year we work 6-7 days a week so see very little of our children. In November we take our kids away to somewhere where we can catch up with relaxation and spending quality family time together, which doesn't always mean going somewhere 'cultural'. We don't leave educating our kids just to the school, we take a lead roll in educating them 365 days a year.

If school holidays were negotiable it would help, alot of people have the same dilemma where we live, they mostly work in tourism....we all have to earn a living, we're just grateful to have jobs.

People need to walk a mile in other people's shoes before they cast such strong and offensive opinions. The majority of folk taking their kids away during school time will be in the same boat as us, I'm fairly certain!

Well, I think the Director of Children's Services is right, education is the given right for all children. We all work to pay for it and I am furious to think that some people just think they can take thier children out of school for 2 weeks in some over-rated tourist town somewhere in Spain with its all you can eat culture like Benidorm (no class, no culture). Children's education is priceless,the majority of parents are responsible, it is the short sighted narrow minded few who think they are above the rules. Holidays v Education.... Two week sunshine v Education, Qualifications and a better start in life, your choice, but don't whinge when you get fined and your kids fail to reach thier potential. Get your priorities right first, there are plenty of time for holidays. Maybe if holidays are more important, then simple, don't have kids! British Tax Payer

I think this is about balance, this letter points out that negoiation can be made with the Head Teacher and most of these are usually are agreed in my experience. it is parents taking children out of school with no communciation with the school that is the probelm???

Rich, why are Teachers out of touch with working people?

Don't they work? Don't they have mortgages? Don't they have children but not the luxury of being able to take their own children on holiday during term time?

Strike days (which are very rare anyway) don't effect the child's education as the teachers ensure they catch up. Teachers do not decide to have inset days, they are told to, and again the children do not lose out.

Looking at some of the comments on here it is quite amusing to find that many people make comments without thinking about what they say, make comments based on false assumptions, or quite simply they have a complete lack of knowledge.

jo, think about your statement for a moment. You really think a government is going to introduce market price controls on holiday companies? Really, a possibility, remotely?

Of course not, in this country we have a tradition of very very few things being price controlled by the Government.

There is always a clamour for it though.

It's simple.

You take your kids out of school, you get fined for doing so.

You shouldn't be taking your kids on holiday during term time. This has creeped in over the last ten years and it's ridiculous. It never happened when I was in school.

What's more important a cheap holiday or your childs education?

Not everyone has the pleasure of being able to take holidays during school time off unlike MP'S and Teachers they are so out of touch with the lives of working people.

have we not forgotten that we are a rural area? farmers & their workers can only take holidays when the workload allows it. the summer months are the busiest time, so it's not viable for those people to take their holidays during the schools summer break.

You have children, you pay the price.

You buy them clothes, you feed and house them, you pay for the nursery if needed, you get allowances and benefits if you qualify?

So, when you decide to have a family, do you not take into account that you will have holidays and that school holidays are more expensive than other times?

This is not a new phonemenom - this problem is as old as the hills, so do you not prepare for this fact ?

Just stop whinging on about the fact that holidays are more expensive, build it into the budget and protect your childs education.

Thank you.

We're taking our kids out of school for a week to go on holiday and as a general rule i don't agree with it but at 10 and 14 they have never been abroad and never been taken out of school for holidays before. they are been taken out as late in the term as possible when they are not doing any exams and we want to do it before our 14 year old starts his gcse's as then we would not be happy taking him out of school and after that he probably wouldn't want to come. we did look at going in the school holidays and it added more than £1000 onto the cost of it which we just couldn't afford. and those saying about people who do take kids out and their education-well i am educated to degree level and have a good job and my parents took me out of school in term time for a few years. do the people that disagree with this even have kids?