Worcester term-time holiday dad wants striking teachers fined

Wesley Joyce said he returned to letters about the fines and then learnt teachers at the two schools planned to strike again

A father has written to his children's schools to demand fines for striking teachers after he was fined for taking his children on a term-time holiday.

Wesley Joyce, from Worcester, said he questioned how the family break affected their education but teachers on strike does not.

He said he will not pay the fines as it was a "massive" double standard.

In the letters to Mr Joyce, seen by the BBC, the two schools said leave was for "exceptional circumstances".

Christopher Whitehead Language College and Tudor Grange Primary School also warned if a fine went unpaid, it could lead to legal action.

Mr Joyce said the family went to Turkey between 8-23 June and his children missed eight days of school.

'Which one is it?'

He said he was "not very happy" to return to two letters from each school to inform him about the fines.

He then learnt a week later that teachers at the schools planned to strike again.

He said the holiday was planned for his daughter's 18th birthday and it was a cheaper time to travel.

"Us getting fined for taking the kids on holiday because it was going to affect their education but then the teachers strike, a week later, two days off school, but that doesn't affect the children's education apparently," he said.

"Which one is it - are we supporting the children, or are we not?"

• Teachers' strike dates: Which days are strikes, which schools and why?

• Term-time holiday: What are the rules?

• School-absence fines make problem worse, MPs told

Teachers who are members of the National Education Union have staged several days of industrial action in England in a dispute over pay.

Members of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the NASUWT are also being re-balloted, after neither union reached the required threshold to hold strikes earlier in the year.

Members of the Association of School and College Leaders in England are similarly being balloted over strike action for the first time in its history, with the Department for Education saying further strikes would cause "real damage" to pupils' learning.

The strike action was part of an on-going dispute over pay

The NEU has said teachers are striking because they want an above-inflation pay increase, plus extra money to ensure any pay rises do not come from schools' existing budgets. Teachers do not get paid for the days they take strike action.

Most state school teachers in England had a 5% pay rise for the year 2022-23.

The government has offered an additional one-off payment of £1,000 and increased the offer for most teachers next year to 4.3%, with starting salaries reaching £30,000. The unions have rejected this offer.

Mr Joyce said he did not understand "why some specific days affect my children's education and others don't."

He added: "What happens if my holidays fall on the days they're striking? Do I get fined for those days, or do I not?"

He said the fines were £60 each per parent which would rise to £120 each if not paid within 21 days.

In response, he has sent a letter to both schools and said in it that teachers should be fined for striking.

He said he was angry to learn about more strikes before the fine deadline arrived.

Both schools have been approached by the BBC for further response and neither have yet made any comment.

Update 8 July: This story has been updated to add more context about why striking teachers are taking industrial action and to make clear they are not paid on strike days.