A father received a £360 fine for taking his children on a vacation during the school term. Now, he is demanding that striking teachers also be charged. Wesley Joyce criticized his children’s schools for having double standards.
Last month, the 42-year-old took his 15-year-old son Jai-Jai and his daughters Cleo, 13, and Hallie, 5, on a ten-day all-inclusive trip to Turkey. He mentioned that the holiday cost £7,000 but would have been £12,000 during the school holidays.
Upon their return, the builder received a letter from the school stating that he and his wife could face fines of up to £360 each, totaling up to £720. In response, he wrote a letter to both schools, stating that he could not grant them the ability to strike and criticized their absence as “pathetic.”
Wesley initially requested permission for an authorized absence from Tudor Grange Primary Academy Perdiswell and Christopher Whitehead Language College, the schools his children attend, but his request was denied.
Wesley said, “The holiday cost £7,000 for seven people, including everything. If we had gone during the summer holidays, it would have been £12,000, a difference of £5,000. We couldn’t afford that, and why should we? The memories of a family holiday will stay with them forever. We left on June 8 and returned on June 22, only to find a letter on our doorstep.”
“My son went to school last week, and the teachers were on strike. He watched a film all day. How does that help him? Jai-Jai has been doing well this year, but now he has ten days of absence.”
“It confuses me why they need so much time. It’s not about how much they get paid or not. It wasn’t just me; both my wife and I received letters. They fined us £60 each, which could increase to £120.”
“It was embarrassing to read from the schools’ perspective. They want me to pay over £700 because I took my kids out of school, but when they returned, there was a training day followed by two strike days the week after.”
“They should consider how it affects the children’s education. Teachers are supposed to be intelligent, but it doesn’t seem that way right now.”
“I’m being charged £720 while they go on strike, which means I can’t work. It’s a never-ending cycle.”
Wesley believes that teachers were aware of the conditions and pay scale when they applied for their jobs, and therefore, the strikes are unnecessary. He added, “I know children who haven’t been fined for going on holiday. They question the schools’ authority to fine them. Teachers know the conditions and pay scale, so why do they strike?”
“If they don’t like the job, they should find another one. Yesterday, I received an email from the school regarding Jai-Jai. I told them that my son was not receiving an education. Supply teachers don’t do anything, and we all know that.”
Neil Morris, the headteacher of Christopher Whitehead Language College, stated, “Mr. Joyce may face a fine for taking his child out for ten days. The child will have important exams in 32 weeks.” Tudor Grange Primary Academy Perdiswell declined to comment.
