Ofsted chief calls for increased term time holiday fines

ENGLAND’S Chief Inspector of Schools says parents who take their children out of school to save money on a family holiday should face higher fines.

The current fixed penalty of £60 per parent is not high enough and is much less than the sum a family can save by booking an off-peak holiday during the school year, says Ofsted’s chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw.

The fine rises to £120 if not paid within 28 days of the notice being issued. If the penalty is still not paid, parents can be prosecuted and face a higher fine.

‘I would like to see the fines raised,’ Sir Michael told The Sunday Times. ‘We have too many parents taking their children out in term time. I think schools should adopt a hard line and not allow the youngsters out. If parents are behaving irresponsibly, then the state is right to say: “This is wrong and you are being a bad parent.” ’

The penalty was raised from £50 to £60 in September 2013 as former education secretary Michael Gove tightened the rules on term-time holidays. The tougher rules have produced a stream of complaints, chiefly from parents’ groups who have launched online petitions against the fines.

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Jet.2.com to take action against unruly passengers

JET2.COM has promised to take action to curb disruptive and offensive behaviour on its flights following a rise in the number of such incidents.

Action will be taken to stop unacceptable behaviour including racist abuse, threatening conduct towards passengers and staff, and excessive alcohol consumption.

Measures taken to combat such behaviour will include police prosecution, refusal to board, flight diversion, and flight ban for life.

The airline reported that it had imposed a lifetime ban on a man who it said was ‘consuming illicit alcohol, using intimidating language and threatening behaviour’ on a flight to Alicante from Leeds Bradford Airport

‘Due to a passenger’s unacceptable behaviour onboard, the pilot diverted the flight to Toulouse where the disruptive man was handed over to the police authorities and the remaining travellers continued on to Alicante,’ said Phil Ward, managing director of jet2.com, who added that the passenger might now face prosecution.

‘Jet2.com is a holiday airline,’ said Mr Ward. ‘We will not allow our customers’ holidays to be upset by an individual’s obnoxious behaviour. We will not hesitate to prosecute individuals where necessary.”

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