Parents who take their children on holiday during term time will face fines from the start of the new school year in September. Headteachers are set to enforce controversial rules against unauthorised term-time absences, with financial penalties of £80 per parent per child.
Fines and attendance targets
The fines were increased to £80 over the last two years in an effort to reduce term-time absences, but research suggests the higher penalty has had little impact on parental behaviour. Analysis indicates that parents save an average of £567 by booking holidays during school term time rather than during peak summer periods.
Schools are now facing new attendance targets set by the government, which may lead headteachers to clamp down more strongly on rule-breaking families. Data obtained from Birmingham City Council shows that 11,605 fines were issued by the city council between May 2025 and January 2026.
Financial incentives for term-time travel
Some parents may be planning late-summer getaways as holiday prices drop when children return to school. The financial incentive remains strong: those wanting to save money may decide it makes financial sense to go during school time, despite the risk of fines.
Tom Vaughan, from Confused.com, said: "Travelling outside of peak school holiday periods often means lower prices and fewer crowds. Our research found that parents and guardians saved £567 on average by taking trips during term time."
Impact on attendance records
Beyond the financial penalties, parents should also consider the effect on their child's attendance record. Vaughan added: "Unauthorised term-time holidays are recorded on a child's school register and might lower their overall attendance percentage."
The issue has long been a battleground between schools and parents, with headteachers likely to be unimpressed by any parents who try to take children away at the start of a new academic year.
New uniform rules also take effect
Alongside the attendance crackdown, new rule changes mean schools must not force parents to buy more than three items of branded school uniform. Secondary and middle schools may ask for four items if a tie is one of them. The aim is to help keep costs down for hard-up parents as the new school year begins.
