July 10th 2023.
Wesley Joyce, a 42 year old builder from Worcester, was left fuming after being handed a £360 penalty for taking his three kids on a 10-day all-inclusive holiday to Turkey during term-time.
The family left on June 8, and returned on June 22 to find that the local council had issued a £60 penalty per parent, per child. Wesley and his wife Stacey, 34, had chosen to take their children on holiday during term-time in order to save £5,000, which would have been spent if they had gone during the summer holidays.
In response to the fine, Wesley posted a letter to his children’s two schools, demanding teachers be given a penalty for refusing to work. In the letter, Wesley argued that he was not able to ‘grant them the ability to strike’ and that their absence would be ‘noted as pathetic’. Wesley went on to say that he couldn't understand why the teachers needed such a long time off when it doesn't matter in the summer holidays, and that Jai-Jai had 10 absent days which had affected his performance in school.
This comes as National Education Union members have had eight days of walkouts since February, with further strikes potentially being on the cards in the autumn during the Conservative Party conference. It is important to note that some parents are happy to swallow the fines as it still saves them more than £10,000 in the long run.
Wesley said he had asked his children’s schools - Tudor Grange Primary Academy Perdiswell and Christopher Whitehead Language College - for an authorised absence, but his request was refused. Neil Morris, headteacher of Christopher Whitehead Language College, said that Wesley may be fined for taking his child out for 10 days, and that the child would have crucial exams in 32 weeks.
Wesley argued that the strikes were unnecessary and that he knew of children who had left and gone on holiday without being fined. He went on to say that the teachers knew the conditions and pay scale, so why did they go on strike?
It is clear that Wesley is deeply frustrated with the situation and believes that teachers should not be on strike. He argues that if they don’t like their job they should find somewhere else. Another mum has reportedly lost £2,000 to teachers’ strikes this year after she was unable to work so she could look after her children.
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