Parents risk fines to save on holidays for their children

Nazmin Chowdhury: With the summer holidays approaching, a new poll has found that 52 per cent of parents believe that it is unfair that prices increase dramatically during the school holidays and were thinking of taking their children out of school for the summer with 15 percent of parents having already done so. The survey was conducted by a parenting website, gurgle.com. Prices of holidays just a week before and week after the school Easter break were significantly cheaper.  The prices of holidays during the Easter break were almost 269% more expensive. Therefore, it is no wonder parents are willing to take their children out of school in order to save a bit of money.  The difference in prices, the travel companies is due to the supply and demand of holidays.   School holidays demand more people to want to get away so they are able to raise prices.According to statistics released by the Department for Education in May 2010, the second most common reason for absenteeism among schoolchildren was a family holiday.In 2004, a fine system was brought in by the local authorities to curb this practice.  Some local authorities are able to fine parents up to £100 for taking a family holiday during school time.Parents are ignoring the threat of fines as almost 21,000 penalty notices for unauthorised absences were issued in England in the school year 2009-10, a 17 per cent increase from two years ago.Parents are accepting penalties because the cost is outweighed by significant savings that can be made on off-peak holidays.