An assistant news editor who risked fines to take her children on holiday in term time has explained her reasoning in a piece for her newspaper.

Cheryl Hague, of the Derby Telegraph, has spoken out after Derbyshire County Council took the decision to end fines for parents of children who attended 94pc of lessons over the previous 12 months.

Writing for the Telegraph, Cheryl said she hates the inference that taking her children out of school made her “irresponsible” or a “bad parent”.

However, she added she would not consider holidaying in term time if one of her daughters was in their GCSE year or struggling with their education.

Cheryl continued: “Of course, travel companies hike up their prices during school holidays to boost their profits. They know a lot of parents will pay double the price they would pay at other times in their desperation to have some fun and relaxation. I understand this is how business works so I am not criticising them. At the same time, you can’t blame parents who want to save a substantial amount of cash.

“For many, the only way they can afford a holiday is if they take the children out partly during term time and even if they have to pay a £60 fine for doing so, it will be a drop in the ocean compared to what they would pay for a break in the official school holidays.

“There are so many benefits to family holidays it would be a crying shame if children were forced to miss out due to the inflated prices. I firmly believe children learn so much from enjoying quality time together as a family, something which can’t be taught in a classroom.

“Both my girls learnt to swim while on our holidays, which is a life-saving skill. They also make friends outside their usual environment, which is great for developing their social skills and confidence.

“If they go abroad, they also learn about different cultures and often take an interest in languages – my girls have both learnt some Spanish phrases while away, which has helped spark an interest in the subject which they will be taught at school.”

She added: “I have always held the view, if the child concerned has an exemplary attendance record and is doing well at school then common sense should prevail.

“The other dilemma, of course, is, if you do take them out during term time, should you let the school know and risked being hit with a Government fine or tell a lie and say they were ill?

“I told the truth – and, fortunately, escaped the fine. However, I understand why some choose the second option, although it is sending out a bad message to the children that telling untruths is acceptable.”