I’m fuming at school’s threats of ‘legal proceedings’ for my daughter’s holiday – but trolls say I’m ‘stunting her’
A MOTHER has been slammed for ''stunting'' her daughter's education after she took her child on a holiday during term time.
Mum Tasha T. took to TikTok where she was seen furious for receiving a fine for taking her daughter on a term time holiday - but not everybody was on her side.
Tasha isn't the only one who's taken the risk of a term time holiday - as more and more parents would rather face penalisation than the extortionate costs of a holiday during the school break.
The Department for Education (DfE) revealed statistics that showed 443,322 fines were issues for unauthorised school time holidays in 2023/24 - a sharp increase from the 356,181 the previous year.
As of August 2024, the fine for school absences across the country rose from £60 to £80 if paid within 21 days.
If parents fail to pay a fine issued within 21 days, they will have to pay double - £160, to be precise, up from the previous £120.
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The Department for Education said this rate tallies with inflation, and is the first time the amount has gone up since 2012.
Parents can only accrue two fines within a three-year period - however, once this limit has been reached, additional actions such as parenting order, or prosecution will be implemented.
However, this hasn't stopped some families from going abroad during term time, especially as they can often find cheaper holiday deals when it's off-season.
Posting a video on , Tasha explained that she had taken her kid on a holiday last month and received a threats from the school ''a few days ago''.
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Up until now, the mum confessed she had ''been ignoring it'', as she couldn't come to terms with ''seeing the damage''.
Reading the letter aloud to her 14k followers on the platform, the mum said: ''The absence has not been authorised.
''They think they have more authority over my own daughter than me as her mother.
''It gets better.. 'I must warn you that failure to ensure your child's regular attendance of school is an offence'.
''If the reason for your child's absence is not considered to be an exceptional circumstance, then I may request, without further warning, that the local authority take legal proceedings against you for failure to comply with the law,'' the letter read.
What school fines can parents receive?
THE main issue that can lead to parents receiving a fine is missing school.
Currently, it's the decision of the local council whether or not to issue a parent a fine for their child missing school.
However, from August this year, the fine for absences will up to the school to consider - when a child has missed 10 or more sessions for unauthorised reasons.
And the fine will be £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days - this is issued to EACH parent.
It's the first time the fine has been increased since 2012, and is in line with inflation.
If a parent receives a second fine for the same child within three years, this will automatically be charged at the higher rate of £160.
Fines will be capped at two fines within a three-year period.
After this limit has been reached, prosecution or a parenting order may be considered.
According to the official there are only five reasons your child should be absent from school if the school is open.
These are as follows:
- Your child is too ill to attend that day
- You have asked in advance and been given permission by the school for your child to be absent on that day due to exceptional circumstances
- Your child cannot attend school on that day because it is a day you are taking part in religious observance
- Your local authority is responsible for arranging your child’s transport to school and it is not available on that day or has not been provided yet
- You are a gypsy/traveller family with no fixed abode, and you are required to travel for work that day meaning your child cannot attend their usual school
The mother was also informed about the fines she was facing, with the penalty amount increasing to £160 as of September last year.
Fuming about the fine, Tasha said in the clip: ''I have no words. This country is a f***ing joke.''
The video, which has racked up close to a staggering 600k views in just two days, has since sparked a fierce debate.
'Stunting her education'
While many seemed to agree with Tasha, others insisted the mum was obstructing her daughter's academic performance.
''You can’t just pick and choose when your child attends school,'' thought one person.
''You got money to take her on holiday, you got money to pay for the fine!'' a second said.
''But you're stunting her education,'' another slammed Tasha.
''It's still important for her to attend lessons so she can get good grades and go uni if she wants; its very hard to get any type of "good job" without a good education.. but what do I know ..'' the person went on.
To this, Tasha hit back: ''Whats a good job? Status? Pay? one that provides a good work/life balance & quality of life?
''I couldn’t care less if she ain’t a doctor, as long as she’s happy & thriving doing what she wants to do.''
There were also plenty of those who echoed Tasha's fury, with one writing: ''Why do schools think they own our children?''
''Taking a child to experience other cultures and new experiences is still education. It makes little sense to impose on that,'' someone else wrote.
The DfE website says: "Every moment in school counts and days missed add up quickly.
"Evidence shows that pupils who have good attendance enjoy better wellbeing and school performance than those who don't.
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"In the majority of cases, schools and local authorities will try and provide support to help you improve your child’s attendance first, but if this isn’t effective or the absence is for unauthorised term time holiday, parents may face paying a fine."
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