‘I’m a circus acrobat – I can’t do school holidays’

Many families struggle to take trips during school holidays because of the cost. For mum Kelly, it’s her job as a circus acrobat.

“I work seven days a week and only get January and February off each year,” she says.

The 32-year-old was fined for taking her daughter Kaida out of school for a two-week holiday to the Canary Islands in January 2024.

Kaida has a main school which she attends week to week from Wednesday to Friday.

On Mondays and Tuesdays, she is registered with other schools around the country as she follows the path of the travelling circus with her mum.

Department for Education (DfE) figures released earlier this week showed the number of fines issued for unauthorised school holidays rose to 443,322 in England last year.

The figures from the 2023-24 school year show a 24% rise on the year before, and…