I am sad to say that I have had to speak to several irate parents this week who took their children out of school during term time and were fined £60 per child.

Over the past few years, my local authority (LA) has not been on top of the fining game, and many parents have slipped through the net. But with LAs as well as schools feeling financial pressure, fines are now being issued on a far more consistent basis.

My issue is the time I have to spend calming parents down. The holiday-request letter clearly states that approval of any “exceptional circumstances”, allowing parents to holiday fine-free, is at the headteacher’s discretion. Parents therefore blame me for their fines.

‘Profiteering’ from term-time holiday fines?

To be fair to them, the standard LA letters do clearly state that the headteacher has the discretion to say “yes”. However, the letters do not say that all heads are told not to sanction the request. This puts me in a really tricky situation. In addition, the parents also believe that schools are profiteering from all of this.

Ideally, the letters should make it clear that headteachers will not sanction absences and that the school does not benefit from the fines.

This got me thinking: if I am giving my precious time to meet with parents to explain why a fine has been issued, why is my school not being reimbursed for that time financially? After all, we all know that finances are being squeezed in all schools.

Now, this is just an idea at the moment, but I am considering exercising my headteacher’s discretion by saying “yes” to all holiday requests, provided parents pay a contribution of £30 into the school accounts.

The parents could still say no, in which case they would be chased by the LA and be liable to a £60 per child fine and the possibility of a criminal record.

‘Holidays are vital breaks’

Now, as a parent myself, I know that holidays are vital breaks. Time to relax and bond. As a teacher, I am tied to my holidays. However, if I wasn’t and could holiday at any time, then the question would have to be asked: do I go on holiday on 16 July when I can get a family holiday for five people for £2,300, or do I go on 25 July and pay double?

I’ll be honest, I would do the former, and gladly pay the £60 fine. Holiday firms and the government really need to look at their pricing structures.

It’s worth mentioning to all parents that if you can get a letter from your employer stating that the only days on which you can take your holidays fall within the specific dates you want away, then a fine can be successfully appealed.

If you can’t, then my approach would mean that nurses, doctors, delivery drivers, post-office staff and others could take holidays at any time, free from the risk of being fined.

I look forward to consulting with my governors on this issue.

Chris Dyson is headteacher at Parklands Primary School in Leeds. He tweets @chrisdysonHT