The education department has changed the rules for these scenarios with a crackdown on temporary leave.

Many of our readers believe it’s Big Brother gone too far and the department should keep its nose out of family business.

We all know families who have hit the road with their kids in tow for a  month-long, two-month, even  six-month adventure holiday. 

These parents will tell you their children learn a great deal from these kinds of trips.

There may not be a lot of formal grammar and maths lessons, but for the young, life experience – meeting new people, seeing how other people live, learning about different places – is just as valuable.

Taking a child out for a block of time once in a while is a lot different, too, from parents who can’t be bothered sending their kids to school. This is negligence of the highest order and should not be tolerated in any form.

And perhaps the age of the child also has some bearing on this debate. 

Taking a student in the upper levels of high school away for an extended period is a different story to a young child in primary school, but it could be argued parents have enough sense to appreciate this distinction.

Maybe the department would argue the cost of school holiday accommodation is no justification for taking kids out during term, but in this day and age it’s a reality, particularly for a larger family.

For some, the economics simply can’t be ignored. 

There are also times when parents’ and childrens’ holidays just don’t mesh.

So, for the sake of spending some time away as a family, a school absense is necessary.

Kids are kids for what can seem like the blink of an eye, and families are together under the one roof for a comparitively short time.

The family holiday is something to cherish, and sometimes it’s just not possible for this to span a school holiday break.

Responsible parents should not be discouraged from giving this kind of gift to their kids.