The unnamed parents who live near Ely in Cambridgeshire, took their child out of school for a third holiday in term time and have been told they’ll get prison time if they do it again.
The couple were ordered to appear before magistrates, after removing their child from school and have already racked up fines totaling nearly £2,200 for two breaches of the rules regarding term time absences.
Both parents were sentenced to four weeks in jail, but magistrates suspended the sentence. They have been ordered to work with probation for one year, pay court costs of £165 each and complete twenty days of rehabilitation activity requirements.
They were warned that any further illegal holidays may put them behind bars. Education director at Cambridgeshire County Council Jonathan Lewis, said: “Children who frequently miss school are far more likely to fall behind, and thus fail to reach their true potential.”
Until 2013, head teachers allowed ten days absence in “special circumstances”. This was overturned by Michael Gove, then Education Secretary, who said this could be granted only in “exceptional circumstances”.
