Teachers say holidays in term can be worth more than time in school

School staff tell focus groups they believe school system in England and Wales cannot deal with attendance crisis

Teachers have so little belief in the importance of pupils’ full school attendance that they would take their own children on term time holidays if they could, staff have told a three-year research programme.

Frontline staff do not believe the school system is set up to deal with an ongoing attendance crisis in England and Wales, where nearly one in five children are now missing at least 10% of school, according to a report based on in-depth conversations with teachers.