It's an age-old problem – as soon as your children go to school you have to start paying peak-season prices for your summer break.

The cost of package holidays, flights and hotels rockets at the most popular times of the year – particularly at Christmas and during August – because there is huge demand from people wanting a break in the snow or the sun.

According to figures compiled by price comparison website travelsupermarket.com, package holidays can almost double as soon as the school holidays start from the last week of July. But Kayte Williams, holidays channel manager at the website, says that hard-pressed families can drastically reduce the cost by persuading their child’s school to give them just a couple of days off.

Taking the kids away during term can be risky

“If you can leave two days before the end of term you will see a significant drop in price before the school holiday rises kick in,” she said. “Similarly, if they can return to school two days late in September then the price will
also be lower.”

There are now strict rules in place to deter parents from taking their children out of school during term time, however. Although they can request up to 10 days’ leave, this is not an automatic right and the decision rests with the school.

Making a compelling case for what a child will get out of a trip helps in convincing a school to give the green light, as does a good attendance record.

Be warned – parents who press ahead with a holiday even though a request has been turned down could face sanctions from the local education authority. These include penalties of £50 to £100, as well as prosecution and up to three months in jail for serious offenders.

Plenty of parents are willing to take the risk. More than 530,000 unauthorised days off were taken by schoolchildren during the autumn 2006 and spring 2007 terms, according to the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

A DCSF spokeswoman said the Government sympathised with the plight of parents but insisted that it was not worth damaging their child’s schooling to benefit from a cut-price break.

“Parents need to recognise that even a couple of days of holiday can have a negative impact on their child’s progress,” she said. “We need parents to work with schools to make sure their children are in school every day.”

Travel companies, she added, also have a role to play in keeping prices competitive during the school holidays. It is a view echoed by Darren Cronian, editor of consumer affairs website Travel-Rants.com.

“I’d like to see travel companies offering more discounts, such as the first child travelling free during the peak time,” he says. “You very rarely see this – even though they are happy to offer these discounts when it’s off-peak.”

Anthony and Nicola Agrippa, who live in Hawarden, north Wales, with their two daughters, have often avoided paying
peak-season prices by gaining permission from the school – but feel they can no longer do so.

The couple feel too guilty about the possible impact on the education of five-year-old Tegan and 14-year-old Chelsea.
 
“I have asked the school for a couple of days in the past but don’t want to set a bad example to my girls,” says 36-year-old Anthony.

He regards the peak season holiday prices as “a total rip-off”. “It’s a way of cashing in on dates over which we have no control. You are tied to going away at the end of July and August, so it’s a no-win situation.”

A spokeswoman for the Association of British Travel Agents said it’s simply supply and demand dynamics and insists it is unfair to blame the industry. The ideal scenario, she said, was a steady flow of customers throughout the year.

“This is the time when tour operators and the holiday industry make their money and they are actually supporting the rest of the year where often they make a loss,” she explained.

“By making prices cheaper during those quieter times, it’s encouraging people who can take holidays to go away then – and this means less heading off during peak times.”