A SOLUTION to the row over taking children out of school for Summer holidays at cheaper times may well be on the horizon.

The local council in Brighton is suggesting creating a stand-alone week off, away from the popular times when holiday companies hike up prices. This would be part of the six-week Summer school holidays, shifted to another period like March.

Time set aside for staff training – inset days – could also be lumped together to give a lengthy break for parents to use for family holidays.

The whole subject is a thorny one as numbers of parents fined for taking children out of school in term-time have rocketed in recent years. Personally, I think it’s plain wrong to disrupt children’s education in this way, but I do sympathise with the problem.

Now, there could be a solution for other councils to follow. It does, however, need all local schools in an area to have the same holidays or families with children at different schools would struggle to arrange breaks.