IT’S not a popular point of view but I’m still putting it: taking children out of school for term-time holidays is wrong.

The number of fines given to Bolton parents who did this rose this year to 676 from 509. The penalty is £60, rising to £120 after three weeks with those failing to pay facing prosecution.

Unlike the circumstances surrounding children failing to attend school – which can be extremely diverse – simply taking your child away from his or her education for a holiday because it’s cheaper or more convenient is selfish.

Don’t bother with all that stuff about it being “educational”. That’s not why parents arrange holidays and they know it. While we all realise that school holiday prices are extortionate, it’s no argument for children forcibly missing classes.

It’s damaging, and the message handed out to them by parents is blurred. Full-time education is vital. Holidays are not.