We were fined £480 for taking our kids on holiday during term time but we have no regrets – here’s why we’d do it again
A DAD has slammed his children's school after he received fines totalling £480 for taking his kids on holiday during term time.
Paul Benson and his wife Jessica were slapped with the fines after taking their children Ruby and George to Florida.
The couple have taken their children on holiday during the school term on two occasions and have been fined £240 each time.
Paul said he had first taken his two kids, Ruby, and George, out of school in September for a trip to Disney World, Florida, in 2018.
And he then repeated the trip last year during the same period when the pair, now aged 12 and ten respectively, were accompanied by his new baby Olive, 2.
By holidaying in term time, the family of four said they saved as much as £8,000.
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But on both occasions, he said teachers had warned him about taking the time off before informing Redcar and Cleveland Council about their unauthorised trips.
He slammed the fine as "unfair," saying family holidays are "significantly cheaper" in September after children have gone back to school.
Paul told : "A family of four like us to go to Florida during the summer holidays - we’d never be able to afford it.
"To go in August you can be looking at twelve grand, but then a week or two later in September it's £3,700, so you think: ‘Well we’ll take the fine’.
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"If you can’t afford to go during the holidays, you are penalised for it, that’s how it makes you feel."
He added that his kids had great attendance, only having "two or three sick days," as well as one of their kids being one of the highest performers during her exams.
Despite this, Paul said the school warned them not to go on anymore holidays, saying it was a "massive blow" after the headteacher pulled them aside.
He added: "Our school is quite hot on attendance. The school basically informed us that they are going to pass it on to the local authority."
Paul said his wife, who is an operating department practitioner in the NHS, was limited in the time that she could take off during normal school holiday periods.
And he said the time away was also a form of education, explaining: "They're learning about travelling abroad and the different culture over there, different ways of doing things."
He also called for councils to be more "fair" with parents, with other schools being less strict.
He added: "I've got some friends with kids at different schools and councils and the teachers have a different approach."
Redcar and Cleveland Council, who issued the fines, said they would review the current criteria for issuing fines after looking at this case.
Meanwhile, a mum in Texas has revealed that she saves thousands by taking her kids out of school during term time to go on holiday.
Faith Skeen takes her two children Chris, 15, and Zach, 11, out of school to go on holiday and attend music concerts.
She told Sun Online Travel: "We're usually able to cut the price of airfare and lodging in half by shopping dates, so I'd say we've saved at least $7,000 (£5,800) this year alone.
"Travelling outside of school breaks and holidays saves us a ton of cash, not just on airfare but on goods and services at our destination as well.
"We couldn't afford half of the things we do if we waited for summer, spring, or half-term holidays."
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And another mum has shared her tips to stop the family holiday hell - including how to avoid losing the kids.
