By Andrew Argo, education reporter

The Scottish Executive has joined forces with the Association of British Travel Agents in Scotland to urge parents to stop taking their children out of school for family holidays.

Tough new rules mean that term-time breaks will be regarded as unauthorised absence and will be treated the same way as truancy—meaning parents could face prosecution.

Parents will now be allowed to take their children away for breaks during term-time only in exceptional circumstances.

These include bereavements, traumatic family events or if the parents can prove it is impossible for them to take leave during the school holidays—something which would apply mainly to those in the armed forces.

Many parents have found it more convenient to organise family breaks without reference to the school session, but some have also done it to take advantage of cheaper holidays.

Under the old rules, schools couldn’t refuse requests from parents to take their children out of school for holidays if the children’s attendance and performance records were satisfactory.

Schools had to classify such requests for time off as authorised absence, and could only encourage families to take their vacations during the school holidays.

Now the Executive is taking a tougher stance after recent figures showing the level of authorised absence running far ahead of unauthorised absences.

Unauthorised absences rates have been brought down due to firmer action against truancy.

Authorised absence figures are more than 13 times greater in primaries and over six times higher in secondaries. Analysis of the figures has shown that many of these absences are pupils taken out of school for family holidays.

By designating term-time family holidays as unauthorised absences, the Executive wants to put the interests of pupils first, and it has been given timely support by ABTA as Scottish travel agents prepare to launch their summer holiday campaigns.

ABTA will encourage its members to remind parents that term-time family breaks will not be authorised by schools and to consider family friendly packages instead.

Deputy education minister Euan Robson said, “Parents need to be aware that missing school, for whatever reason, can have a high price in terms of a child’s education.

“That is why we are seeking their support to reduce all forms of absence from school and why we are reminding them—with the support of ABTA members—to book their family holidays during the school holidays, not when their child should be in school.”