London - Most British middle-class parents can no longer afford to take their children abroad because of the soaring cost of going away in the school holidays, a survey has found.
Three-quarters of those paid up to £24 000 (R436 000) – close to the average income – said they had difficulty saving up, and half of families with a combined income of £44 000 to £54 000 said they had to make sacrifices to spend on a holiday.
Even those earning £74 000 to £84 000 are feeling the pinch, with more than a third complaining about prices.
It is only when household income reaches £84 000 or more that the vast majority – 93 percent – say they are not concerned about the cost.
Holiday prices can soar by as much as 200 percent during school holidays.
More than two-fifths of parents get around this by going away in term time, with one in seven admitting to lying to keep their children off school, including making up stories about illnesses or deaths in the family, the survey by holiday firm Hogan’s Irish Cottages found.
Seven in 10 of the 1 000 parents who took part in the survey agreed a policy on term-time absences should be in place – but complained it shouldn’t be as strict.
It comes after a Facebook rant about the cost of breaks at Center Parcs by father Paul Cookson went viral with more than 100 000 signing an online petition calling for a cap on price increases in school holidays. It means the issue could now be debated in the British parliament.
Studies have shown that travel firms, airlines, hotels and other businesses inflate prices when schools close.
Some parents were granted authorised absences of up to 10 days by sympathetic head teachers, but this has been banned except in “exceptional circumstances” since September.
Breaches are dealt with by fines of up to £2 500 or three months in jail.
The Department for Education took action to improve academic standards by preventing children from missing classes, increasing the crisis. – Daily Mail