We were fined £720 for taking kids on holiday in term time – we have no regrets

A DAD who was fined £720 for taking kids on holiday said he has no regrets.

Wesley Joyce, 42, from Worcester, took his children Jai-Jai, Cleo and Hallie on a ten-day all-inclusive trip to Turkey during their school term last month.

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When they returned home, builder Wesley discovered he and his wife Stacey had both been slapped with £60 fines for each of their three children – adding up to a whopping £720 penalty for the family.

Fuming dad-of-three Wesley got his own back – by sending a fine to teachers for going on strike.

He told PlymouthLive: “The holiday came to £7,000 with seven people all-inclusive.

“If I went in the summer holidays it was £12,000. We just couldn’t afford that.

“About a month before, they had their 13th day of strike action.

“My son went to school last week and the teachers were on strike, he just watched a film all day.

“You want me to pay over £700 because I took my kids out of school, but when they got back there was one training day and then two strike days the week after.”

Wesley posted a letter to his children’s two schools slamming teachers’ “pathetic” decision to walk out – adding that he did not “grant you the ability to strike”.

He also claimed that he asked permission for an authorised absence before the holiday – but was turned down.

Neil Morris, headteacher of Christopher Whitehead Language College, said: “Mr Joyce may be fined for taking his child out for 10 days. The child will have crucial exams in 32 weeks.”

It comes after a fuming dad “fined” his son’s teachers for going on strike after he was hit with a £240 penalty for taking a family holiday in term-time.