Mum says she’s saved £10,000 in term time holidays despite being fined each time

Rachel Smith takes her children on holiday during term time every year (Picture: SWNS)

A mum who has taken her kids out of school four times to go on holiday claims she’s saved almost £10,000.

Rachel Smith is fined £60-per-child every time she takes her two children Brayden, 11, and Elianna, nine, abroad during term time.

But the 33-year-old says she prefers to swallow the fine rather than paying the ‘outrageous’ price it would cost to go away over the summer holidays.

The single mum from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, says she will do it again this year and ‘stands by’ her decision, labelling it a ‘no brainer’.

Finance worker Rachel saved £3,000 last year by taking her children to Majorca and Magaluf in May and June rather than peak-season August.

They are set for another adventure to Majorca next week, the day after Brayden finishes his SATs.

She said: ‘Although I have a good job, as a single working parent I just don’t have the money to take my kids on holiday during the school holidays.

‘The cost is outrageous. Why should people, and most importantly children, be penalised because they can’t afford to pay £5,000 for a holiday in August?

‘I’ve worked really hard and so do my children, why shouldn’t we get to go on a family holiday?

‘Why should some children miss out on those experiences and only the kids with parents that afford it get to go?

‘The cost is double, even triple, out of term time compared to in term time.

‘So long as you look carefully at the school calendar and make sure it’s not impacting your child’s education, I think it’s fine.’

Rachel went on holiday with her two children, Brayden and Elianna, to Majorca in May 2022 (Picture: SWNS)

Their first holiday during term time was to Ibiza in May 2018 when Brayden was five and Eliana was four.

The three of them visited Magaluf, Majorca the following year but were unable to holiday abroad in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid.

However, they made up for their lost time by holidaying in Magaluf again in May last year, followed by a trip to Can Picafort, Majorca in June.

Rachel was hit with a £120 fine for each of her children for the Can Picafort trip but says she saved £3,000 on the holiday. 

Rachel’s daughter, Elianna, on one of the family’s four holidays they’ve been on together during school time (Picture: SWNS)

She was also fined for both kids for their holiday in 2019, as well as receiving a penalty for Brayden’s absence during their Ibiza trip the year before.

But Rachel doesn’t believe her children missing school to go on holiday once a year has been detrimental to their education at all.

She said: ‘I always check the calendar carefully to make sure it doesn’t impact their learning too much.

‘At the end of term they’re not doing much, and after SATs Brayden won’t be doing anything at school anyway.

Rachel says her son Brayden ‘won’t be doing anything at school after his SATs anyway’ (Picture: SWNS)

‘They’re both doing really well at school. Brayden got 40 out of 40 on his last SATs maths mock test. If it was impacting their education I obviously wouldn’t do it.

‘They learn a lot from going on holiday too. They’ve been able to experience other cultures, they have a massive social awareness and they’re learning another language. 

‘They can even pack their own hand luggage. ‘These are all things they wouldn’t be able to experience if we didn’t miss a few days of school. It would be out of the question.

‘Schools shut to do teacher training and there’s been strike days. I don’t see why it’s deemed OK for them to miss school for that but not for a family holiday.’

Rachel says she ‘stands by’ her decision to take her children away during term time (Picture: SWNS)

Rachel also thinks schools should introduce a system where parents are allocated a number of days to take children out of school for holidays.

She added: ‘I think there should be a system where kids can have time off during term time.

‘Just a few days a year, and there should be red zones at important times of the year like leading up to exams.

‘I stand by taking my children out of school for holiday. I never had that growing up, so if I can give my kids that then I’m going to.’

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‘I’m doing it again this year.’