17 per cent of parents have taken a family holiday abroad during term time, according to Gocompare.com Travel Insurance, of which nearly a quarter estimates that it’s cheaper to pay the penalty for taking their children out of school than to buy a foreign vacation during school breaks.

Caroline Lloyd, travel expert at Gocompare.com Travel Insurance, said: “Foreign holidays outside term-time tend to be considerably more expensive than in the weeks leading up to them. So, for some families the only way they can afford to take their kids abroad is to holiday during the school term.”

Of term-time vacationers, 35 per cent said that they couldn’t otherwise afford to go away. On average, parents were happy to take their kids out of school for four consecutive days. Just under a quarter thought a full week was acceptable and 17 percent would be comfortable with a 10 day absence.

Lloyd explained: “Last September tougher regulations on term-time holidays were introduced, meaning that schools have been stopped from allowing children 10 days of leave a year for family breaks in ‘special circumstances’. Now requests for term-time holidays are at the head teacher’s discretion.”

The majority-54 per cent-of parents who have taken their children abroad during term-time felt that the government should cap increases on prices during school holiday periods.