TAKING child benefit money off parents who allow thier children to skip school to go on family holidays is one way to stop holidays being taken in term time, according to a Preston headteacher.

Roger Small's comments follow the revelation that more than a quarter of youngsters across Lancashire are taken out of school to go on holiday.

Bosses at Lancashire County Council are urging parent's to plan their holiday's better and to use holidays in term time as a top-up either at the beginning or the end of an existing school holiday.

But Mr Small, head St Matthew's CofE primary, New Hall Lane, Preston, is not impressed.

"I think this is a waste of time. If schools are to stop parents taking their children out of school for holidays we need some real teeth.

"What's the point of being able to fine parents £100 for removing their child if they can save £500 by taking their holiday in term time?"

He suggested a radical way to deal with it might be to take children off the school roll and make them re-apply to the Local Education Authority for a school place once they returned from their holiday.

Alternatively, he claims, child benefit should be removed from parents for the period the child was out of school.

"I believe passionately that children should be in school for the full 190 days a year unless they are ill, but as things are we just have to grin and bare it when parents come and ask to take their children out of school in term time," he said.

Preston and South Ribble were both below the county average of 25 per cent missing school for a holiday.

In Preston the number is 19.2 percent and is 21 percent in South Ribble.

Parents can apply for a maximum of ten school days during the school year and extended leave beyond this is only allowed in exceptional circumstances.

LCC's cabinet member for children and families, Clive Grunshaw, said: "We are not insisting that parents never take their children away during term time, but parents need to be sensible and consider their children's education first."

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