Report: Nearly half of Northern Ireland think children should be allowed to holiday during term time

A new survey by CompareNI.com asked people in Northern Ireland about their attitudes to children holidaying during term time.

Almost half of all respondents (48%) thought children should be allowed to take time out of school for holidays.

In addition to this, over a fifth of those surveyed (21%) said they had taken their children out of school during term time for a holiday, with the majority of those (69%) stating this was due to cheaper costs.

Recent research shows prices for package holidays typically double when school is out, and air fares tend to be three times higher than during term time* - with prices in 2023 up 8.4% over 2022 and forecast to increase again in 2024.**

CompareNI.com data also shows that May and June were the most popular travel months in 2023 – suggesting a rising trend of pre-summer holidays to help make savings.

After news that families in England will now be charged more for unauthorised school absences from August 2024, moving up from £60 to £80 if paid within 21 days and £160 if paid within 28 days, it’s obviously a growing concern for the UK government.

For Northern Ireland however, there is no official fine for those taking children out of school for holidays, although it could be recognised as an unauthorised absence.

The Education Welfare Service has access to all attendance information for each pupil and if a child is missing school without good reason, they may investigate to find out why. By law, parents and carers are responsible for making sure their child attends school regularly and parents are advised not to keep their children off school during term – regular absences can result in court action and up to £1000 fine per child.

Commenting on the survey results, Ian Wilson, managing director of CompareNI.com, said: “As our survey has shown, one in five parents are taking their children on holiday during term time, with the majority stating this is due to cheaper costs.

“Airfare and holiday costs have been rising significantly with inflation, and the price spike during the summer months is just not affordable for many parents in Northern Ireland.

“There are some things that holidaymakers can do to help save money, such as researching more unusual destinations, shopping around for holiday currency and essentials, using comparison sites to get competitive prices on flights and hotels and protecting themselves with a travel insurance policy.”