A FAMILY who took their two young children out of school after they won a dream trip to Australia have told of their ‘frustration’ at receiving a £240 fine for their non-attendance. 

Competition-winner Richard Claypole, from Warfield, asked for his two children to be allowed seven days off from Whitegrove Primary School in July so they could join him and his wife on a dream trip to watch

Liverpool FC play in Brisbane after he won match tickets and $10,000 worth of travel vouchers in an online contest.

However, headteacher Karen Davis said she did not consider the trip an ‘exceptional circumstance’ and warned the family they would be fined if six-year-old Oliver and nine-year-old Aimee did not attend school. 

The Claypoles, all life-long football fans, still went on their round-the-world trip but returned to a £240 penalty notice.

Speaking to the News, Mr Claypole said: “It’s very frustrating. It’s not because we were after a cheaper holiday, we always book holidays during the school break. It’s pretty disappointing - The last few weeks of school are just fun activities and it’s not massively important. What would they have gained from watching films and parties?

“The kids have really good attendance records apart from some sick days. They’ve had 100-per-cent attendance some years. I do agree with fines to tackle truancy, but it needs to be balanced and cases should be considered individually and I think the rules were just blindly applied to us.”

The dates of the trip weren’t flexible due to the football match on July 17, and Mr Claypole insists his children gained more from learning about Australia than they would have done in the last week of school before the summer holidays started.

He said: “The trip was fantastic, we were very busy. It wasn’t a holiday just for chilling. The kids loved it -– we took them to the wildlife sanctuary and they saw koalas. We spent three days at the Great Barrier Reef and they went snorkelling and saw the ecosystems there. We even saw the Milky Way. We went out to this place where it was just pitch black. That’s something the kids may never see again. 

“If they were sitting exams or were a bit older and in secondary school it would be a different situation, but this trip was so valuable. I just don’t get why it wasn’t considered an 
exceptional circumstance.”

Bracknell News:

Richard Claypole with daughter Aimee, 9, and son Oliver,6 when they won the compeition in June

The family have now paid the fine of £60 per parent, per child to Bracknell Forest Council, who say absence during term-time for holidays is not seen as an exceptional circumstance. 

Christine McInness, the council’s chief officer for education, said: “When children miss school for other than legitimate reasons it has a serious impact on their learning and success in exams. Every lesson counts and school attendance really does matter. Any time out of school has an impact on a child’s attainment. 

“The decision about granting leave of absence to a child during term time and what constitutes exceptional circumstances rests with individual headteachers. However, all headteachers must follow government guidance, which was reinforced in 2013.

“The parents of these children were notified in writing by the headteacher that they would be liable for the penalty notices if the children did not attend school during the period in question.”