The owner of a Yorkshire coast business says she has ‘no regrets’ after taking her four children on holiday and landing a near £1,000 fine from East Riding Council.
It is the second time the family has received a fine for taking children out of school for a holiday during term time, and she now fears the possibility a court appearance in 2027.
But the rising fines and strict punishments are just the sign of a broken system that is punishing hard-working parents, according to the East Yorkshire mum-of-four.
She is urging policymakers to consider new arrangements, such as an allocation of permitted holiday days for children that usually have good attendance.
And there is a big difference between taking primary-aged schoolchildren away for a week, it is not like they are studying for exams, states Hannah Davison.
She runs the popular Boathouse at North Landing, a well-loved café located in a former lifeboat house in Flamborough.
Mrs Davison said: “The council need to understand that for some workers, such as people in hospitality or NHS workers, we can’t just take time off during the summer holidays.
“With the cost of living and the economy as it is, we have to work every day throughout the summer.
“Especially on the busy Yorkshire Coast. September is the first time we can get away. If I could go on holiday in the summer, then I would.”
Juggling act
The Boathouse is a family operation for the Davisons, with Hannah running the business while juggling childcare with her husband’s busy job as a fisherman on the Yorkshire Coast.
She explained she had guilty feelings already, because her children have a disrupted summer holiday due to the demands of her business and paying the bills.
“My kids spend all the summer holiday with grandparents, friends, or just being with me while I work at the Boathouse.
“They never get to lay-in, they are up at the crack of dawn everyday during the summer and are dragged pillar to post.
“So it is really important for us that we can have that time together as a family to chill out and not be in a rush for once,” she said.
“Despite the fine, I’ve definitely got no regrets. It’s just that excitement of the kids bundling onto the plane – you think ‘wow, we’ve made it’.
“And we always go right at the start of term, when the kids are just settling in at school so in my opinion they are not missing anything important. We would obviously not take them out of school when they are bigger and studying for exams.”
Family time
The family (two parents and children aged 2, 6, 7 and 10-years-old) were handed a fine of £480 in 2025. This year Mrs Davison is expecting the fine to at least double and she is fearing a court appearance in 2027 if the family take another September holiday next year.
“With the cost of things going up so much though, I think I would do it again. It’s our one holiday every year, it is a real treat.
“I’ll always stand by the importance of our family time together, no parent would disagree with that, surely?” she said.
Mrs Davison has written to Charlie Dewhirst, the Conservative MP for Bridlington and the Wolds.
She is also appealing to East Riding Council to change their approach and offer a lenient approach for working families – particularly those in the region’s vital tourist industry.
A spokesperson for East Riding Council could not discuss this specific case but explained good attendance at school was vital for children’s education and social development, making clear the authority was there to work with families to improve attendance throughout the year.
She said: “Penalty notice fines are issued if a pupil misses ten consecutive sessions for the purpose of a holiday.
“Schools and the local authority work with families to improve school attendance and ensure children get the most from their education journey.”