2.5 million school days lost to term time holidays

Around 2.5 million school days were lost last autumn as parents took children on holiday during term time.

Official statistics published by the Department for Education show that family holiday was the second most common reason for absence in the autumn term.

It suggests that parents are still trying to take advantage of cheap deals outside school holidays.

Almost one in four (24 per cent) of days missed due to holidays were not authorised by the school.

In total, family holidays accounted for 0.59 per cent of half days missed - the equivalent of around 2.5 million days.

Of these, 0.45 per cent were authorised by the school, and 0.14 per cent were unauthorised.

The statistics show that more than 57,400 primary and secondary pupils skipped classes without permission on a typical day in the autumn term, through truancy, family holidays, illness and other reasons, an analysis of the statistics suggests.

Some 29,200 primary and secondary school pupils were classed as "persistent absentees" - missing one day of school a week - with a further 275,230 at risk of joining them.

Overall, the truancy rate in England's primary and secondary schools fell to 0.93 per cent of half days missed for the autumn term 2009, from 0.98 per cent in the autumn term in 2008.

But there was a 3.3 per cent increase on the autumn term of 2006, when the truancy rate stood at 0.90 per cent.

In primary schools the truancy rate last autumn was 0.62 per cent, a 29.2 per cent rise on autumn 2006, when the rate was 0.48 per cent.

But in secondaries, 1.28 per cent of half days were missed due to unauthorised absence last autumn - a 6.6 per cent fall on autumn 2006 when the figure was 1.37 per cent.