While most children were returning to school last Monday following the half-term break, my neighbours Steph and Gary Bonwick were travelling through a quiet airport on their way to Turkey, with two of their children, Charlie, 15, and Lola, 11. “Travelling during the school holidays isn’t an option for us because of all the hustle and bustle,” Steph explains.
Charlie is visually impaired and both he and Lola have AuDHD, a combination of autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. “Even at quieter times, we prepare the children for the trip to try to minimise their anxiety. The sensory overload when it’s chaotic in an airport would be too much. If they’re more relaxed, we’re more relaxed too. Charlie’s SEND school is very supportive; the majority of families take their children out during term time for similar reasons. Lola’s at a mainstream school so even though they understand why we go out of holiday time, they have to go with the local authority – we know we will get fined,” she says.
Even with the fine of £80 daily for each parent when a student misses more than five days over a rolling 10-week period – a fine which comes from the local authority rather than the individual school – the family will have saved almost £1,000 compared with the same holiday a week earlier. “It’s much more affordable. The children come back refreshed, ready for the final half-term of school. Their attendance is really good, so missing five days of school in a year is minimal,” Steph says. They try to go away each year “if they can” and have no plans to stop when Lola starts secondary school.
