Four out of 10 parents let children skip school for family holidays

More than four of out 10 parents take their children on holiday during term-time to avoid paying higher prices for everything from packages to travel insurance during peak weeks.

According to research by Tesco Bank, almost two-thirds of parents whose children miss school to go on family trips say they can't afford the inflated prices charged by tour operators during school holidays.

One in five of the 2,000 parents who responded to the survey said they weren't concerned that time out of school for family holidays would impact on their children's education.

The results of the survey contradict a recent government report that suggested parents no longer see family holidays as a necessity. The Department for Works and Pensions said that after questioning families in Birmingham, Reading and Sheffield it had concluded 'some thought a long weekend would suffice'.

One of the reasons given by parents for taking children on holiday during term-time, according to Tesco Bank, was the lack of special offers from tour operators during school breaks.

A third said there were fewer free child places available than there were three to five years ago and more than half said they didn't get any reduction for their kids on their last family holiday.

Few said they were able to find cut-price or free travel insurance for their children. Indeed, only six per cent who responded to the survey had found free travel insurance for their children for their last holiday. However, Insurewithease does offer free travel insurance cover for children under 18 travelling with an adult.

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