We did it for a trip to Egypt - to go at a time when the temperatures were better

Carlisle parent Sue Crawford

The questions were part of a wide-ranging survey into parents' attitudes towards their children's schools and their involvement with them.

The government has been waging a campaign against parents who take their children out of school for holidays and sanction unauthorised absences.

Ministers say they were shocked to learn that during a truancy sweep, four out of five children who were missing school had an adult - often a parent - with them.

Price difference

Parent Sue Crawford, from Carlisle, said she had taken her daughter out of school when she was aged 14.

"It's not something I would do routinely or do in the run-up to exam years and it would depend on the age of the child.

"For many people the price difference for term-time holidays means they can afford a holiday they couldn't have in peak time.

"We did it for a trip to Egypt to go at a time when the temperatures were better."

She thinks the government is right to come down on parents about term-time holidays.

"They need to, otherwise people would do it all the time," she said.

'Disruptive'

For the study, BMRB Social Research questioned 1,130 parents.

The survey is part of on-going research designed to help increase parental involvement in schools.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Education and Skills said: "Parents should not normally take pupils on holiday in term-time as it can be disruptive to a child's education.

"Schools have discretion to agree leave of absence for family holidays in term-time but only in exceptional circumstances can they agree to more than 10 school days absence in any school year.

"Parents should discuss any proposed trips with schools in advance."