Petition · Department for Education

Allow parents to take their children out of school for 5 school days in a year

Closed 561 signatures

What the petition asks

Currently attendance is high on the agenda for Ofsted and schools. If a parent wants to take their child away, parents can be fined. We would like the government to authorise parents to take their own children away on holiday when they want, for up to 5 days.
We think that holidays during term time are much more affordable for the average family, especially during with the high cost of living. This allows families to create memories and give experiences that educate children in different ways. Not only does this allow for memories, but we think it can help promote healthier mental wellbeing for the whole family. This in turn could help to relieve some of the stresses and burden on other services. We think parents should be able to have the choice to be able to take their children away on holiday.

Timeline

16 Jun 2025 Petition opened for signatures
16 Dec 2025 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 561
Status Closed
Department Department for Education
Opened 16 Jun 2025
Closed 16 Dec 2025

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 27 Jul 2026.