Allow students to be taken out of school for two weeks a year without penalty
254,530 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 15 March 2024; it closed on 29 May 2024. The Government responded on 9 May 2024. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 25 November 2024.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Allow students to be taken out of school for two weeks a year without penalty
Families face school fines for taking their children out of school to go on affordable holidays. This can be a particular issue for low-income families, and families with children that have additional needs, who want or need to avoid busier and more expensive periods.
I feel these families are being discriminated against as they may not find it possible to travel outside of term time, as it could be too costly or overwhelming, with travel, queues, noise, busy airports, busy public transport, busy resorts etc.
We think it's unfair that these families and children might not be able to go on holiday because they can't take time off during term time. Parents may also have additional needs that would make travelling at busy times difficult.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 9 May 2024; the petitions site lists the Department for Education as responsible. Its summary:
Regular school attendance is vital for attainment, wellbeing and development. We are clear pupils should not miss school for term-time holidays, which cause disruption to teachers and other pupils.
The opening 393 words of the 559-word response:
We sympathise with families who wish to avoid busier and more expensive periods, but the Government is clear that pupils should not miss school for term-time holidays. Whilst holidays can be enriching activities, regular school absence disrupts learning for everyone, and the school year is structured in such a way as to provide plenty of time for holidays outside of term-time. Schools also have considerable flexibility to plan term dates themselves, and hold inset days and other occasional days at less busy times of the year which can help families to plan family breaks at times that suit them.
Parents who have registered their child at a school have a legal responsibility to ensure they attend regularly. Regular attendance is vital for children’s attainment, mental wellbeing and long-term development, and taking them out of school can damage their education. Children inevitably miss some school due to childhood illnesses. Based on last year’s attendance data, a child who is taken out of school for a two-week holiday every year who also has an average number of days off for sickness and medical appointments, will have missed the equivalent of a full year of school by the time they finish year 11 at age 16. Absences for term-time holidays also cause unnecessary disruption to learning, making it more difficult for teachers to plan lessons and cover the curriculum, which is also disruptive for the other pupils in the class. If every child were to be taken out of school for two weeks, this would have significant consequences for teachers and for other children.
Improving school attendance is one of the Secretary of State for Education’s top priorities, The Government has a comprehensive support-first strategy in place to do this. This includes:
- Updated attendance guidance with clear expectations about how schools, trusts and local authorities should work together, including with pupils and families, to support each pupil’s individual needs, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities and mental ill health;
- An attendance data tool allowing early identification and intervention of pupils at risk of persistent absence;
- The Attendance Action Alliance of system leaders working to remove barriers to attendance
- A new national Attendance Ambassador to work with school leaders to champion attendance;
- Expert Attendance Advisers to support local authorities and school trusts and Attendance Hubs to support nearly 2,000 schools;
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 2,000, came from Great Yarmouth.
254,335 of the signatures were from the UK and 195 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Great Yarmouth | 2,000 |
| Castle Point | 1,834 |
| Rayleigh and Wickford | 1,650 |
| Waveney | 1,611 |
| Barnsley East | 1,339 |
| Sheffield South East | 1,333 |
| Hornchurch and Upminster | 1,328 |
| South Basildon and East Thurrock | 1,297 |
| Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford | 1,283 |
| Doncaster North | 1,276 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| East of England | 44,018 |
| South East | 37,538 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 32,780 |
| North West | 31,589 |
| London | 24,216 |
| East Midlands | 21,999 |
| South West | 21,881 |
| West Midlands | 21,766 |
| North East | 10,967 |
| Wales | 4,764 |
| Scotland | 1,187 |
| Northern Ireland | 369 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 25 November 2024. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/658365.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
880f9a2728f88db8… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.