MINISTERS must look at capping travel firms’ school holidays pricing, as fining parents for unauthorised off-peak trips is “simply not working,” unions said today.

Nearly 460,000 penalty notices for unauthorised family holidays were issued in 2024/25 — up 3.6 per cent on the year before, the latest Department for Education (DfE) figures show. The fines have been increasing since 2020/21.

“We cannot continue like this, with parents choosing between an affordable holiday and good school attendance for their child,” said Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio.

“We really need the government to consider any ways they can limit how travel firms raise their prices during school holidays. This is the driving factor behind these statistics.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, added: “It is clear that for many families the threat of a fine is not acting as a significant deterrent.”