Cheap dream holidays offered to cut school absences

PARENTS are being offered cheap dream holidays at paradise resorts in the Caribbean, Mauritius and California in a Town Hall drive to stop children missing school for family breaks.
Camden’s Labour education boss Councillor Nick Smith is backing a scheme offering families cut-price deals provided they go during school holidays.
The cheap holidays offer comes as the Town Hall puts on hold a shock plan to dish out “Truancy Tickets” to parents whose children turn up late for school or miss lessons.
Instead of pressing ahead with the hard-line measure, Cllr Smith hopes that offering huge discounts on dream breaks will encourage parents to book vacations during school holidays rather than term time.
The Town Hall had been geared up to hit parents with parking ticket-style fines of £50 and £100 in a bid to curb unexplained school absences. Offences were to include unnecessary term-time holidays. But education chiefs had sudden cold feet over the blitz on bunking off and Cllr Smith has demanded more information on the project before giving his blessing.
He made the decision at a meeting with department officials last Wednesday night.
A Town Hall press official said: “Penalty notices will not be used until (Cllr Smith) is satisfied that the detail of the protocol has been agreed.
“The council’s view is that it is worth taking a little longer over implementation if this ensures they are used effectively as part of a wider strategy to raise attendance.”
Instead, Camden Council, whose truancy patrol was combing the streets on Friday for pupils who should have been in school, is to introduce a scheme which will give parents discounted holidays if they book outward and return travel during recognised school breaks.
Deals being touted by the Town Hall on Monday included savings of £400 or even completely free trips for children.
The project has been dreamed up by government planners alongside the British Association of Travel Agents, with big-name tour operators Thomas Cook, Thomson, Airtours and Virgin also involved.
Parents have been advised to contact their children’s schools to see how they can take advantage of the scheme, while coupons have been posted on the council’s website.
One offer likely to attract interest is a free child’s place at the luxurious Coral Strand hotel in sun-soaked Mauritius.
Disneyworld vouchers to be spent in Florida are also up for grabs.
Cllr Smith said: “Parents must realise that taking a child out of school during term time can seriously affect their child’s education. When it comes to schooling, every day counts.
“One reason families go away during term time is because they believe it is expensive during the school holidays.
“Now with this scheme, families can get a good deal on their holidays and do what’s best for their children’s education into the bargain.”
The Town Hall is looking for new measures to improve school attendance after court action against parents proved time consuming.
Alan Seymour, headteacher at Gospel Oak Primary School in Mansfield Road, said: “To lose two weeks to go on holiday is more than five per cent of the school year.
“Whenever we look at our children’s scores, we always find that children with the poorest attendance tend to get the lowest scores.”