Many families are forced to coordinate their vacations with their children’s school breaks, a practice that a prominent expert suggests needs reevaluation. The high costs of summer holidays often lead parents to take their kids out of school during term time to save money on travel expenses.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, the CEO of the Advantage Travel Partnership, is advocating for significant changes to school calendars due to the rising temperatures in the Mediterranean, making summer travel less desirable for families.
Currently, school holidays in England and Wales span from late July to early September. Lo Bue-Said proposes shortening these holidays by two weeks and redistributing those weeks to the one-week half terms in May and October.
She emphasized that recent weather trends and the discomfort of traveling in extreme temperatures have influenced families’ holiday decisions. By adjusting the school calendar, Lo Bue-Said believes it would benefit children’s well-being and provide more flexibility for families and teachers who are limited to traveling during school breaks.
Parents who choose to take their children out of school during term times currently face fines exceeding £80. Lo Bue-Said highlighted the increasing fines imposed by schools on families traveling outside of official holidays, signaling a shift in the traditional school calendar may be necessary.
Lo Bue-Said also pointed out that spreading out the demand for trips throughout the year could potentially lower holiday prices, rather than concentrating travel during peak school holiday periods.
While families in Scotland enjoy cheaper travel deals by utilizing English airports at the beginning of their summer break, schools in Northern Ireland typically close for the entirety of July and August.
In England, many schools, especially academies, have the autonomy to set their own holiday schedules. Some schools have already opted for a five-week summer break and a two-week break in October.
According to the BBC, Surrey’s county council has announced plans to align with this trend for all supported schools starting in autumn 2026.
Parentkind, a charity supporting parent-teacher organizations, conducted a poll showing that 53% of parents prefer a four-week summer holiday, with the percentage rising to 60% among families with children with special educational needs.
