Petition · past parliament

Reverse Ban on Holiday's During School Term Time

Closed 51,403 signatures

Government response · 20 March 2014

As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response:

The law requires parents to ensure their school registered children (age between 5 and 16) to attend school regularly. The Government believes that pupils are most successful in school when they can follow an uninterrupted programme of study with their peers, consolidate their newly acquired knowledge or skills, and apply them before moving on to more complex theories and understanding. This cannot be achieved if their education is being disrupted unnecessarily because they are taken out of school during term time for a holiday. Most schools have 190 days of compulsory education in their academic year, which gives plenty of opportunities for families to plan and enjoy their holidays during school breaks.

This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold.

Timeline

15 Jan 2014 Petition opened for signatures
20 Feb 2014 Passed 10,000 signatures, requiring a government response
20 Mar 2014 Government responded
15 Jan 2015 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 51,403
Status Closed
Opened 15 Jan 2014
Closed 15 Jan 2015
Response 20 Mar 2014

Follow this petition

Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.

Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.