In the last school year, almost 400,000 fines were dished out to parents for their kids missing classes.

The 398,796 penalties issued in the 2022-23 year were nearly double the 218,235 penalties issued in the 2012-22 year, and the Department for Education says most fines were issued for parents taking children on holidays during term time.

Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders union, said that parents may be trying to “take advantage of off-peak holiday prices because of the rising cost of living… however, it is just not manageable to have families taking holidays in term time.”