One of the biggest issues of a family ski holiday is controlling costs, and with ski holiday options concentrated in to just a few weeks, rather than the six weeks of summer, it’s particularly tough on parents trying to introduce their children to the healthy, educational and life affirming experience of a ski holiday.
In fact a new study by travel deals company Travelzoo has revealed the lengths UK parents are now prepared to go to in order to avoid the government’s controversial fines for term-time holidays.
Travelzoo’s ‘Parent Trap 2015 Study’ polled over 2000 parents of state-school children and found that one in five parents had already lied to their children’s school in order to avoid fines for taking them out of school for a cheaper holiday. Over half of UK parents said they were prepared to lie in the coming months.
Two thirds of parents are also willing to ask their children to continue the deceit and pretend to their teacher that the reason for absence was not a family holiday. Just 13 per cent of parents polled believe families should not go on holiday if they cannot afford it during school-holiday dates.
According to the survey, three quarters of the teachers who were questioned said they’d experienced parents lying to them since the penalties came into force; 49 per cent said they felt the fines were affecting their relationship with pupils’ families.
“With more than half of UK parents prepared to lie in order to avoid the fines and over 64,000 fines issued from September 2013-2014, it’s clear that the current system isn’t working,” said Louise Hodges of Travelzoo, who added, “The fining system is messy, confusing and makes law-abiding families feel like criminals.”