Jess Hardiman
Two parents have claimed to have ‘saved thousands’ by taking their kids of school for holidays during term time, despite being fined every time.
Brogan and Shane Cole, 30, wanted to jet off to Greek hotspot Zante with their two kids Archie, 10, and Ellie, seven, but realised it would work out much cheaper to swerve the school holidays.
In a bid to save some cash, they booked their 11-day break for 18 May, and in turn, were hit with a £240 fine – a figure that would have gone up to £480 if they didn’t pay up before 6 July.
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Brogan says she has no regrets about the decision, claiming to have saved £2,000 by going when they did.
In fact, she and Shane even shared a clip to their joint TikTok earlier this month to boast how they’d ‘saved 10 times [the amount of the fine] by going in term time'.
Brogan, from Coventry, West Midlands, said: "We saved £2,000 because we booked the holiday in term time.
"I told the school before we went away, and they just gave me the fine.
"The fine is £60 per person, and we had up until the 6th of July to pay it, or else it would double to £120pp. And there's four of us so it’s a lot of money.
"It’s my third time receiving it [the fine] just because it's so much cheaper and quieter going in term time.
"Holiday companies make it so expensive to travel in summer, so that’s why we do it.
"We were really frustrated when we got [the penalty], because we feel that they are our own kids but yet we are having to pay fines for them.
"They are our own children who we want to take away and create memories with.
"We want to take them to have a nice time away from their little worries, [away from] whatever it may be that’s worrying them. To get away from normality.
"But we feel as though we are punished for wanting to do that."
She continued: "We had an amazing time - we always do.
"It's so hard to save up to take your family away as it is, it's so expensive. So I know it will be hard for families to pay this extra cost in the summer holidays.
"But it will also be hard for families to pay the fine too when they get home.
"People need to speak up about this to let other parents and carers know they are not alone in the struggle."
When the parents shared their holiday story on TikTok, it racked up more than 90,000 likes and comments – with many people backing what they did, claiming to have also saved money on holidays booked in term time.
One said: "We're taking our boys in school time next year, saved over £700 on the holiday by [booking] it for the week before the half term."
Another commented: "We are expecting one too but saved £3k on our holiday to Florida by going away during May half term and the week after."
However, some disagreed with the approach, arguing that parents were making the wrong call taking kids out of school without permission.
"Imagine being a teacher and having no choice [but to go away during the holiday period],” one said.
A second agreed: "Right, so when the teacher is spending all her time getting everyone on the same page, please don’t moan that your child has missed half the curriculum."