Missing just a WEEK of school can dramatically cut children’s chances of getting good exam results

June 19, 2017

• Topical

from The Daily Mail, 22.02.2015

Parents have been warned that allowing their children to miss just a week of school can cut their chances of succeeding by up to a quarter.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan today released research showing the dramatic affect just a few days absence can have on attainment. She claimed it ‘busts the myth’ that term-time holidays are harmless and vindicates headteachers who take a hardline stance with parents who break the rules. The coalition changed the law so that headteachers can only grant leave from school in exceptional circumstances. But many parents have complained that the cost of package holidays is so much cheaper during term-time that they have no choice but to take their children out of school.

However, the Department for Education today released data which it claims shows how as little as a week off each year can put pupils behind those who miss no school. It examined how many pupils achieved the English Baccalaureate, which includes a GCSE at Grade C or above in English, maths, history or geography, the sciences and a language. Some 44 per cent of pupils who missed no lessons achieved the so-called ‘gold standard’ of qualifications. But this fell to only 31.7 per cent of those who missed 14 days over two years of studying for their GCSEs, equivalent of around one week per year.

Among those who missed 28 days over two years, just 16.4 per cent achieved the English Baccalaureate standard. At primary school, pupils who miss 14 days at age 11 were a quarter less likely to achieve level 5 or above in reading, writing or maths tests than those with no absence. Mrs Morgan said: ‘The myth that pulling a child out of school for a holiday is harmless to their education has been busted by this research. Today heads across the country have been vindicated – missing school can have a lasting effect on a pupil’s life chances.’

Under the new rules, each parent who ignores a ban faces a £60 fine per child, rising to £120 if it is not paid within 21 days. Failure to pay the fine can result in prosecution, with a maximum fine – if convicted – of £2,500 or a jail sentence of up to three months. The move was intended to stop families damaging their children’s education by taking them away when holiday firms offer cheaper holidays. A quarter of primary schools have punished parents for ignoring bans.

Mrs Morgan added: ‘This is why we are doing all we can to encourage more pupils back into class by toughening up on term-time holidays and attendance. Heads and teachers are now firmly back in charge of their classrooms thanks to our plan for education and new flexibility over term dates allow them to set term breaks outside of peak times. ‘Fewer pupils than ever before now regularly skip class, while more pupils than ever before are leaving school with a place in education, employment or training. ‘But today’s research shows we must never slip in our mission to ensure all pupils leave school properly prepared for life in modern Britain.’

Last week a couple who took their children on a term-time holiday to Corfu after a ‘traumatic’ year have been dragged into court and fined £240. Roy and Jenny Davies pulled son Alistair, 14, and daughter Rhiannon, 13, out of school for a week so they could enjoy some much-needed ‘quality time’. The holiday followed a stressful year in which a family member died and Mrs Davies underwent emergency surgery which left her unable to walk. While the family deemed their circumstances ‘exceptional’, Alistair’s school did not agree, fining the parents £60.

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