Two million parents are set to take their children out of the classroom for holidays this term as they struggle to meet the rising cost of trips during school breaks, new research suggests.

最新研究表明， 由于难以负担学校假期期间旅行费用的上涨，本学期预计将有两百万名家长选择带孩子请假出游。

Nearly a fifth of parents report they can no longer afford to take trips during the school holidays, while almost a quarter (23 per cent) are willing to incur fines for cheaper term-time breaks, according to a survey of 2,000 British adults.

一项针对2000名英国成年人的调查显示，近五分之一的家长表示， 他们已无力承担学校假期期间的旅行费用，而近四分之一（23%）的家长则愿意为更便宜的学期中假期旅行而支付罚款。

Parents have paid a total of £41 million in fines for unauthorised term-time holidays since 2022. Research from Currensea, a foreign currency debit card provider, has revealed that 18 per cent of parents believe the savings made by travelling outside school holidays outweigh this financial penalty.

自2022年以来，家长因未经许可的学期中假期旅行已累计支付了4100万英镑的罚款。 外汇借记卡提供商Currensea的研究显示， 18%的家长认为，选择在学校假期之外的时间旅行所节省的费用足以抵消这一经济处罚。

Emma Harris, 51, from Clevedon, north Somerset, is a mother of two boys, the elder of whom is autistic. In 2021, she chose to take her sons out of secondary school during term-time for a family holiday to Walt Disney World in Florida after the school refused to authorise the absence.

51岁的艾玛·哈里斯来自萨默塞特郡北部的克莱夫登，是两个男孩的母亲，其中大儿子患有自闭症。 2021年，在学校拒绝批准她为孩子请假后，她选择在学期中带两个儿子前往佛罗里达州的沃尔特·迪士尼世界进行家庭度假。

Faced with a fine of £60 per parent per child, totalling £240, Harris believed it was in her children's best interests to travel during a quieter, off-peak period.

当时，每位家长需为每个孩子支付60英镑的罚款，总计240英镑。但哈里斯认为，在旅游淡季、人流量较少的时候带孩子出游更符合孩子们的最佳利益。

"It was their first time abroad, so taking them out when we did meant it wasn't too chaotic," she said. "We knew it would be busy if we went during the school holidays and the park would be crammed. As it was, when we got there we got passes, so we were able to avoid queuing for the most part. For children who have additional needs like my son, we have to navigate his sensory difficulties."

她说：“这是他们第一次出国，所以选择在我们出行的时候带他们去，这样就不会太混乱了。 我们知道，如果在学校假期期间去，那里肯定会很拥挤，公园也会人满为患。 而实际上，我们到达那里后拿到了通行证，所以大部分时间都不用排队。 对于像我儿子这样有特殊需求的孩子来说，我们必须应对他的感官障碍问题。”

Harris explained: "Every day, you're approaching something different with an autistic child in a new environment, and you have to deal with meltdowns and anxieties. However, if you have to go through it with ten times as many people, the holiday won't be enjoyable for anybody.

哈里斯解释道：“对于一个自闭症孩子来说，在陌生的环境中，每天都会面临不同的情况， 你必须应对他们的情绪崩溃和焦虑情绪。 然而，如果还要在十倍于平常的人数中经历这些，那么这次度假对任何人来说都不会愉快。”

"When you look at the grand scheme of things, we decided it was going to be so much better to pay the fine. We would have ended up paying more anyway if we decided to go during the school holidays than we did with the fine."

“从大局来看，我们决定支付罚款会更划算。 实际上，如果我们选择在学校假期期间出行，最终花费肯定会比支付罚款还要多。”

The threat of further penalties did not deter Harris and her family from booking their next trip outside of term-time. "We went to Lanzarote two years ago with family who don't have children and they didn't want to go during the chaos of school holidays. Again, we wanted a quieter environment for my son and his younger brother, so we said sod it, we'll pay for a better holiday with the fine."

进一步处罚的威胁并没有阻止哈里斯和她的家人预订下一次在学期外进行的旅行。 “两年前，我们和没有孩子的家人一起去了兰萨罗特岛，他们不想在学校假期的混乱中出行。 同样，我们希望为我的儿子和他的弟弟创造一个更安静的环境，所以我们想，算了，我们宁愿支付罚款来换取一次更美好的度假。”

The government website says that all schools are required to consider a fine when a child has missed five or more days for "unauthorised reasons". From August last year, the fee was raised from £60 to £80 if paid within three weeks, or £160 if paid within 28 days.

政府网站表示，当孩子因“未经许可的原因”缺课五天或以上时，所有学校都必须考虑处以罚款。 自去年八月起，如果在三周内支付罚款，金额将从60英镑提高至80英镑；若在28天内支付，则罚款为160英镑。

It also states that the "vast majority of fines for unauthorised absence (89 per cent) are issued for term-time holidays". If parents are prosecuted and brought to court because of unauthorised absences, they can face fines of up to £2,500.

网站还指出，“绝大多数（89%）因未经许可缺课而开出的罚款都是针对学期中假期的”。 如果家长因孩子未经许可缺课而被起诉并带上法庭，他们可能面临高达2500英镑的罚款。

Another parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said they decided to take their child out of school to visit family in Poland over Christmas — and, by doing so, saved £600.

另一位不愿透露姓名的家长表示，他们决定让孩子在圣诞节期间请假离校，前往波兰探亲——通过这样做， 他们节省了600英镑。

Commenting on the backlash they received from other parents, they said: "Taking my daughter out of school was a controversial issue, with potential implications for her education and fines from her school. As a parent, I think it's ridiculous for schools to be getting involved with this.

在谈到其他家长对他们的反对意见时，这位家长表示：“让我女儿请假离校是一个颇具争议的问题， 这可能会对她的学业产生影响，还可能面临学校的罚款。 作为家长，我认为学校介入此事简直荒谬。”

"It's insane that we need to pay vast amounts of money to take your child to your home country to see their grandparents, or just in general to spend time with family."

“我们竟然需要支付一大笔钱，才能带孩子回自己的祖国看望祖父母， 或者仅仅是为了和家人共度时光，这简直太疯狂了。”

James Lynn, the co-founder of Currensea, said: "Parents are under huge financial pressure, so it's no wonder that millions are prepared to risk fines to treat their families to a much-needed break."

Currensea的联合创始人詹姆斯·林恩表示：“家长们面临着巨大的经济压力， 因此，数以百万计的家长愿意冒着被罚款的风险，带家人去享受一次急需的假期，这也就不足为奇了。”

The research also found that parents seek to minimise expenses while travelling abroad. Almost three quarters, 72 per cent, said bank charges for spending money abroad were too high, while 67 per cent complained of hidden costs when using their debit card overseas.

该研究还发现，家长们在出国旅行时力求节省开支。 近四分之三（72%）的家长表示，在国外消费时银行收取的费用过高， 而67%的家长则抱怨使用借记卡在海外消费时存在隐藏费用。

Two thirds (66 per cent) were worried about getting caught out by high foreign exchange fees when using their bank card abroad, and 80 per cent of parents said banks needed to explain their fees more clearly.

三分之二（66%）的家长担心在国外使用银行卡时会遭遇高额的外汇兑换费用， 80%的家长表示银行需要更清楚地解释其收费情况。