THE ongoing saga of parents taking children out of school to go on holiday has cropped up again.

This time a High Court ruled in favour of the parents. And rightly so, I believe. Holidays are a very important part of family life. These times stay in the memory for a lifetime.

One, and perhaps the main reason why most parents take children on holiday during term time, is the cost. Obviously travel firms and hotels, etc, put up their prices when demand is greatest — during school holidays.

A way to combat this might be to stagger school holidays over the summer period. Similar to the old Wakes weeks we used to have in Lancashire and Yorkshire, when mills in various towns closed down at different times.

If schools in different towns did this, then demand for holidays would be spread over the summer period, and this should standardise prices.

Brian Derbyshire

Ribchester Grove

Bolton