A BRITISH-owned timeshare resort in the Canaries is to use the offer of a special educational programme for children — including nature walks and practising Spanish — to lure parents into taking their offspring on holiday during term time.

Club Las Calas on the island of Lanzarote says the scheme will make it easier for families to take advantage of cheaper air fares when demand is lower outside the school holidays.

Critics say it is further evidence the travel industry is ignoring calls from the government and teachers to curb the use of special deals for families during term time, a practice they blame for children missing lessons.

Last year hundreds of £50 fixed penalties were issued to parents of state-school pupils who took unauthorised time off for family breaks.

Adam Johnson, chairman of Club Las Calas, said parents should obtain permission from teachers, who would then set coursework to take away with them.

The resort’s leisure centre manager has been given the task of overseeing the education programme and ensuring children complete their work. Johnson plans to introduce the scheme this summer.

It has angered teachers and unions. One school head said her staff would “hit the roof” if they were asked to provide holiday coursework.

“We wanted to make it easier for schools to release children in term time by offering to provide some form of educational activity on the island when they are on holiday,” said Johnson. “We are not surrogate teachers, it is not a surrogate school. It will offset the fact the child is out of school during term time.”

Club Las Calas has 147 apartments, four swimming pools and a leisure complex.

Under the scheme, children studying Spanish could practise their language skills with the club’s Spanish staff. Those studying geography and geology might go on nature walks around the island’s dormant volcano, filling in a fact sheet. The scheme will cost £13 to £20 per child for a one-week stay, depending on age.

Under government rules, children can take a maximum of 10 school days authorised absence a year under “exceptional circumstances”. It is up to headteachers to decide what constitutes exceptional circumstances, but few accept the need to take cheaper holidays as a reason.

Pam Barber, head at the state Lancaster Girls’ grammar school, said: “My teachers would hit the roof, and there is no way a teacher is going to say ‘yeah I’ll set work so they can go on holiday.’”

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