A mother in the United Kingdom said she was left "mortified" after her five-year-old son told teachers he was not off school because he was ill but because he was "going on a Jet2 plane to Tenerife," an exchange she shared in a viral TikTok clip.
Dione Walker, who posts on TikTok as @dionewalker3, published screenshots of messages between her and her son's primary school in which staff asked her to confirm the reason for his absence. School staff wrote: "Please can you contact the Academy to advise why Isaac is absent today. Attendance is more important than ever, everyday matters. Thanks." Walker replied, "Hello, Isaac has got spots and a rash on him, we think it's chicken pox, he's going to the chemist for them to have a look at it. Thank you." The school then relayed what the child had told teachers previously: "Isaac told staff that he was going to Tenerife on a Jet2 aeroplane."
Walker captioned the post, "My five year old giving me karma for lying," and later uploaded a separate clip showing the young child on holiday and singing karaoke in Tenerife. The original TikTok clip reportedly amassed more than 800,000 views and drew more than 53,000 likes, with many viewers responding with advice and sympathy for the parent.
The exchange highlights legal restrictions on authorised absences from school in England. Parents must obtain permission from a headteacher to remove a child from school during term time, and such permission is granted only in "exceptional circumstances," according to guidance on GOV.UK. Parents are legally required to make sure their children receive an education between the school term after their fifth birthday and the school year in which they turn 16. Taking a child out of school without permission can lead to a penalty notice, which is commonly a fine.
The standard initial penalty is £80 per parent, rising to £160 if unpaid after 21 days. From the 2024–25 school year, parents can receive up to two fines per child within three years, with the second fine at £160; further unauthorised absences may lead directly to court action without additional penalty notices.
Department for Education figures show fines for unauthorised term-time holidays have been increasing. In 2023–24, 487,344 penalty notices were issued in England, up 22 percent from 398,796 the previous year and higher than the 333,388 penalty notices issued in 2018–19. The vast majority of fines in 2023–24 — about 91 percent — were issued for unauthorised holidays.
Education authorities and schools say strict attendance rules aim to reduce missed learning time. Parents and families have told officials that some choose to travel in term time to avoid higher holiday costs during official school breaks, a trend education data analysts and officials have cited in explanations for the rise in penalty notices.
In Walker's case, the school contacted the parent about the absence and recorded the child's own account in their messaging. The exchange and subsequent viral posts prompted a broad online reaction focused on parental decision-making, the unpredictability of young children, and the enforcement of attendance rules in England.