As a mum of two school-aged kids, and major travelenthusiast, I understand the allure of a cheeky term-time holiday. When you're browsing online travel sites and dreaming of a few days away, it's galling to look at the calendar and realise you could savehundreds of pounds if you just went a few days earlier or later.

Numbers released earlier this year shows that more and more parents faced with a rising cost of living have opted to face fines rather than pay peak prices. Last year, 459,288 school holiday fines were issued in England alone, a record number and a 4% increase year-on-year. 2025 was also the year that fines went up from £60 to £80, and it seems the extra cost hasn't acted as a deterrent.

Some parents may think the £80 isn't that bad compared to the premium costs that come with half-term holidays. For example, a break I recently priced up in a certain park that I won't name (but parents will know) would cost £1,599 for a four-night stay during the Easterschool holidays, but £529 just two weeks later. It's tempting to just take the kids out of school and pay the fine, but there are a couple of things parents should know.

Firstly, many people don't realise that the fine isn't applied per family, it's per parent per child. If two adults go away with two children, that's four lots of potential penalties, putting up the cost to £320. Fines also need to be paid as soon as they are issued. In England, the initial fine per person is £80 if paid within 21 days, but jumps to £160 if paid within 28 days.

Also, if you take term-time holidays too close to each other, you may find your second penalty is even harsher. A second offence within a three-year period can lead to parents getting slapped with the higher £160 fine straight away, so for that family of four, the fine would be £640, negating a lot of the savings made from the cheaper holiday.

And if you rack up a third offense in this period? You could find yourself taken to a magistrates court. If found guilty, fines of up to £2,500 can be enforced, as well as community orders, and parents could find themselves with a criminal record. This could have severe consequences for people whose careers depend on having a clean DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service), as certificates could show a 'failure to safeguard a child's education'.

But do schools bother to take these measures? Increasingly, schools are coming under pressure to crack down on term-time holidays and will soon face minimum attendance targets. In Cumbria, fines in the county rose from 140 to 3,812 in one year, showing that some councils are certainly taking the issue more seriously than before.

Last year, a mum was taken to court after she took her daughters on a trip to her home country of South Africa to see relatives. Luckily, she was only made to pay the original fine, with court fees and council costs waived, but it shows that any parent who takes term-time breaks could end up with the headache that comes with a court appearance.

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So, is it worth risking a term-time holiday? Parents should weight up the risk and potential fine costs before they book, in addition to the impact it might cause on their child's education. Some schools and councils seem to be cracking down harder than others, so do your research.

Either way, it's a decision families need to make for themselves, and I wouldn't judge my fellow parents for prioritising family time together in a more affordable way.

Would you take your child on a term-time holiday? Comment below and have your say.