My hack means you WON’T get fined for taking your kids on holiday during term time – but some don’t want the ‘bad name’
A MUM of two has revealed her simple hack which means you won’t get fined for taking your kids on holiday during term time.
Kayla, who is a travel agent, has explained her parenting trick on TikTok and it has since gone viral.
The mum, who is also a home educator to her children, has advised other parents on how to get their kids out of school for a holiday.
Currently, parents get fined £60 for taking their children out of school without any authorisation.
The fine will then go up to £120 if paid between 21 and 28 days.
If you don’t pay the penalty notice in the given time, we will prosecute you (if we haven’t withdrawn the notice).
She revealed that parents can send a “simple deregistration letter” to the school and it is an “instruction that the school has to listen to.”
Kayla then explained that most schools that are following the government directive, will have a “cooling off” period which she says is normally 14 to 21 days.
In that time, Kayla has said that parents would be able to take their children on holiday and “world school them”.
Then, if the parent realises that they are not keen on spending all day, every day with them, the parent has every right to take the child back to their school and say “it’s not for me.”
She finishes the video by saying: “I am a home-educated parent, and I am a travel parent so I know a little bit about both.”
The video has since gone viral, with over 1,000 people rushing to the comments section to share their thoughts.
One disagreed, and wrote: “That’s giving home Ed [education] a bad name.”
To which Kayla replied: “Possibly but they may actually like it and continue!”
Another also added their opinion on the thread by saying: “No it isn’t. We homeschool and travel 8-10 a year. Our kids are thriving on it.”
Someone else added: “My parents did this when I was in school; we had a small leaving party for me only for them to see me again, surprise.”
Cooling off
A fourth wrote: “I never understand how people say ‘no way! education is top priority’ as if taking your kids out two weeks of the year will do much damage.”
Kayla replied: “I spent half my childhood travelling and my teens were messy educationally, I went to multiple schools, so I never settled and although I’m no savant, I’m doing just fine!”
The video also created a lot of questions too, with one asking: “I thought if you deregister a child, is there a possibility that they’ll refuse to take you back after a few weeks.”
Kayla confirmed: “That’s what you’d need to check, all schools vary.”
How does de-registering your child from main stream school work?
If you would like to deregister your child from a mainstream school you don’t need specific permission.
Hertfordshire County Council website suggests to arrange a meeting with the Headteacher to discuss why you are considering home education.
Their website states: “You should write a letter to your school’s Headteacher notifying them of your decision and request that your child is de-registered from their school roll.
“Once your school has received this, they will remove your child from the school register and inform us of your decision.
“It would be advisable to send your letter via registered/signed delivery or hand it in yourself so that you know your Headteacher has definitely received it.
“You should also ask that the school writes back to confirm that your child has been removed from the register and the council informed.”
What happens if you change your mind?
The Hertfordshire County Council website reads: “If you remove your child from school to home educate but decide that you’d like them to go back to school at a later date, we (the council) must find your child a school place.
“However, you will not be guaranteed a place at your local or preferred school. You will need to make an in-year application for a school place through admissions.”
It is important to check with your local council on the specific rules for your area before making any decisions.