Create inset weeks so families can book cheaper holidays, schools urged
Headteachers are being urged to group additional school days into full weeks to reduce absences throughout term and enable families to book more affordable holidays.
The proposal comes from travel company On the Beach, which claims the measure will solve a problem for which the government has “run out of answers”.
Most schools in England currently have five additional days per year, with Welsh schools observing six.
These are the days when teachers work but students do not come to school.
While schools set their own schedules, these days are rarely grouped together.
On the Beach has written to 25,000 headteachers in England and Wales asking them to introduce staggered extra weeks on a regional basis.
The company said allowing parents of school-age children to book weekly trips outside of school term would “give them access to holidays at a fraction of peak season prices”.
Analysis published by insurer Go.Compare in July last year found that the average price of a package holiday in Spain was 20% higher during school holidays than during term time, equivalent to an extra £337 per person.
Parents may be fined if their child is absent from school without permission.
The daily rate is £80 if paid within three weeks, or £160 if paid within four weeks.
The latest figures from the Department for Education (DfE) show nearly 460,000 fines were issued for unauthorized family holidays in 2024/25.
Zoe Harris, chief customer officer at On the Beach, said: “Families shouldn’t have to choose between following the rules and spending time together.
“The real frustration we hear is that parents can see cheaper off-peak holidays, but there is no direct way to access them without their kids being in school, and that’s where additional weeks can help.
“Around 25,000 headteachers hold the key to enabling more families to go on holiday for less money, boosting attendance figures and solving a problem the Department for Education has failed to solve.
“The answer is additional weeks.”
Andy Stirland, principal of Python Hill Academy in Nottinghamshire, which has had a week built into spring break every May for the past seven years, said: “Parents should not face fines or sanctions for wanting to spend time with their families.
“The additional week has provided families at our school with a cheaper holiday option while maintaining our attendance figures.
“Our attendance figures have been above the national average every year and without the additional weeks I believe this would have been a very different story.”
The DfE has been approached for comment.
