MINISTERS are to promote cut-price summer holidays to parents in an effort to stop them taking children away during term time.

Under the scheme, travel agents will give discounts on their peak July and August rates for families who book in advance. The packages will include free children’s places when adults book a holiday, 50% discounts for two children sharing with two adults and free vouchers for attractions such as Disneyland.

Sources said £400 discounts would be offered on some holidays as part of the scheme.

Called Every Lesson Counts, it will be launched in November by Ruth Kelly, the education secretary. At present, parents are tempted to take holidays during term time to avoid prices during peak months that can be as much as 80% higher. A family of four going away in May or June can save as much as £1,000.

Cutting term-time holidays is seen by ministers as a key part of reducing truancy. The education department estimates that family holidays taken during term time are responsible for as many as one in six days lost.

Although the problem is worst in the summer, schools are complaining that affluent families are taking winter breaks in term time to avoid the half-term holiday, when prices are at their highest.

Kelly is launching the scheme after months of negotiation with the travel industry.

The discount deals for next winter and summer will be promoted from November through a website run by Abta and the main tour operators.

The six biggest — Thomas Cook, Kuoni, Virgin, Airtours, Thomson & Skytours and First Choice — took part in preparatory pilot schemes and will participate in Every Lesson Counts.

However, Kelly’s scheme may fail to bring better-priced deals than those currently available. Direct Holidays already offers a week in Majorca for an adult and two children at £1,381, a saving of £334.

The deal, which must be booked before the end of this month, includes a free place for a school child, a £50 discount for the second child and half price travel insurance. First Choice also lets one child travel free at the height of the summer to destinations that include Corfu, the Canary Islands and the Balearics. Places for next summer are available now.

Mark Hoban, shadow minister for schools, said: “This is a cheap publicity stunt that tells parents nothing more than they know already. Ruth Kelly would do better to try and tackle truancy, which has gone up by 30% since 1997.”

Schools have been told by the education department to be stricter with parents and there has been a reduction in the number of missed days. In the South Gloucestershire education authority area the average number of pupils on term-time holiday fell from 363 per day in 2003-4 to 310 in 2004-5.

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