When my daughter Annie came home from school aged seven bemoaning her best friend Ellie was “on holiday”, I assured her she must be mistaken. With another fortnight of school left before they broke up for summer, I told Annie I was sure she’d got it wrong and Ellie would be back tomorrow.
Catching up with Ellie’s mum Nicole on the last day of term though, she reliably informed me Annie was right and they’d had the best time on holiday in Greece. She caught my eyebrow raise and proudly declared she didn’t mind the fine because they’d saved hundreds of pounds going in term time.
Now, there’s not much that annoys me – I have three children who’ve tried their whole lives and come close many times – but taking children out of school to go on a holiday always infuriates me. Why? It’s simply not right and it’s unfair to both the children being taken out of their usual routine and the teachers who prepare the learning.
Unauthorised holidays are a growing problem. According to the Department for Education, the overall absence rate for the academic year 2025-26 for pupils in England was running at 6.93 per cent, still significantly above pre-Covid levels of 4.7 per cent. Persistent absence rates have doubled since the pandemic, with nearly one in five children now missing at least 10 per cent of school.
Dozens feared dead after boat found adrift off Canary Islands
More than 80 migrants are feared to have perished after a boat was found drifting off the Canary Islands.
Everything you need to know
- The canoe-like vessel was discovered south of the holiday islands on Thursday morning. It is thought it had been at sea for 26 days.
- The boat left Gambia in West Africa with about 128 occupants last month. Those on board are thought to be mostly from Gambia and Mali.
- Rescuers found only 44 survivors, along with five bodies. Aid workers said survivors reported that 83 people, including a baby, had died during the crossing.
Migrant route to Canary Islands one of the world’s deadliest
The Atlantic crossing from West Africa to the Spanish Canary Islands is attempted by thousands of migrants each year despite the risks posed by rough seas and long distances. According to one estimate, 1,300 migrants died in the first five months of 2026 trying to reach the Spanish coast.
Canary Islands regional leader Fernando Clavijo said on X: “It is intolerable that lives continue to be lost. The Canaries cannot get used to or accept as normal the fact that the Atlantic continues to be a death trap.”
Gloria Steinem, groundbreaking feminist campaigner, dies aged 92
An icon for many
Steinem was known for radically changing the rights of many women in the US so that they could eventually apply for credit cards without a man’s signature, legally get an abortion and be admitted to Ivy League universities.
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Changing lives
“Gloria’s near century on Earth were years well lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end.”
A post on her official instagram account said
A campaigner who radically changed rights for women
From legal clerk to bunny girl to activist
- Steinem was born in Ohio in 1934 and grew up in a trailer home. She attended a liberal arts college and travelling to India, where she worked as a legal clerk in the country’s supreme court.
- She subsequently spent decades as an activist, championing causes from abortion rights to the banning of genital mutilation.
“‘s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard. Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves. lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humor.”
STatement on gloria’s foundation
Zack Polanski launches bid to run for Starmer’s seat in by-election
Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, will stand to become an MP when a by-election is held in Sir Keir Starmer’s seat in the coming months.
Everything you need to know
- Polanski has confirmed he wants to be the Green Party candidate in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election caused by Starmer’s decision to leave frontline politics.
- The leader of the Greens insisted the seat was winnable, accusing Labour of standing up for “corporations and big money”. He added: “I will stand up for people struggling to pay their bills.”
- Polanski is currently a member of the London Assembly but is unusual as a national party leader in not being an MP.
Polanski gambles on by-election battle
The Green leader’s decision to stand in Holborn and St Pancras represents a gamble as he seeks to maintain his party’s momentum in challenging Labour on the left. The party’s in recent months and a victory for Polanski would represent a valuable political prize.
Until now, Sir Keir’s central London seat has been a Labour stronghold but the Greens came second in the area in local elections earlier this year.
Fans teased with new Harry Potter trailer – what we learnt
The sorting hat and Quidditch are among the familiar magical phenomena which appear in the first full trailer for the new television series due to air this Christmas.
The sorting hat returns
The eagerly anticipated HBO show based on JK Rowling’s first wizarding novel, , will consist of eight episodes and early glimpses suggest producers have been careful to retain the detail of the original book.
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What you need to know
Hogwarts is back
The trailer focuses on the magical school and Harry’s first experiences, including the trial of the sorting hat.
Friends again
Harry, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley are introduced in separate clips as the trio become friends.
Ron in a mess
Weasley is seen at home trying to read an acceptance letter covered in jam by his brothers.
Hogwarts’ teachers take centre stage
The trailer begins with Professor McGonagall, played by Janet McTeer, telling the newly arrived students they must undertake the dreaded sorting hat ceremony before enjoying a sumptuous banquet at the school of wizarding.
Severus Snape, played by Paapa Essiedu, finds time to sneer at Harry’s classroom shortcomings as he prepares to try Quidditch. But Rubeus Hagrid, performed by Nick Frost, takes the young wizard under his wing, telling him: “You’ll find your place.”
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What to know as toxic haze spreads across South East Asia
Indonesia is battling , some of which have been burning for weeks and resulted in a toxic haze affecting millions.
What you need to know
Multiple locations
The fires are burning on several of Indonesia’s biggest islands, in particular on Borneo.
Health risk
Millions have been exposed to toxic smoke, with 50,000 being treated in hospital for respiratory infections.
Regional problem
Air pollution caused by the fires is affecting Malaysia and The Philippines.
Indonesia’s decades-old problem with wildfires
The forest and peatland fires engulfing parts of Indonesia are a familiar problem for the authorities. Their roots lie in a project by former ruler Suharto to rip up rainforest and drain peat bogs for plantations and logging.
Repeated investigations have shown that developers use fire as a cut-price means of clearing large areas for plantations and industrial sites.
Haze shrouds parts of South East Asia
Protests erupt in Spain over Ceuta migrant crisis
Thousands have attended protests across Spain against the government’s handling of the arrival of thousands of migrants in the exclave of Ceuta on the Moroccan coast.
Everything you need to know
- The rallies on Wednesday were called by city councils controlled by opposition parties. They accuse Spain’s left-wing government of abandoning Ceuta’s residents.
- There have been near-daily protests in the North African city calling for remaining migrants to be returned or distributed across mainland Spain.
- Demonstrators have called for prime minister Pedro Sánchez to resign but the government accuses right-wing parties of exploiting the crisis.
Why did these protests happen?
Some 72,000 people crossed illegally from Morocco into Ceuta in July. While most have returned, as many as 5,000 remain. The Spanish government has blamed for the influx but critics claim the Moroccan authorities were complicit.
Did Morocco orchestrate the mass crossing?
A police report this week said Moroccan security forces had shown “total permissiveness” during the huge influx into the exclave on 30 and 31 July. Sánchez has insisted Morocco was not responsible but the report said the Moroccan police presence was “clearly smaller” than usual.
The police report nonetheless stopped short of directly accusing Morocco of being behind the mass influx.
The protests in pictures
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How to be more grateful for daily life in five easy steps
The world feels like a difficult place at the moment, and it can feel very hard sometimes to find things to be thankful for; when we are overwhelmed, we have less capacity to notice and reflect on the good things. Yet, ironically, proactively cultivating gratitude is one of the things that can actually help us feel less stressed.
NHS GP dR RADHA
The science
Research has shown that feeling or expressing thanks can actually alter our brain.
- The balance of neurotransmitters change; more serotonin and dopamine (feel good chemicals) are produced.
- This can be long lasting if we make gratitude a regular habit.
- We also get a decrease in our cortisol (stress hormone) levels which helps lower anxiety.
- Being grateful can strengthen the nerve pathways which triggers positive emotion.
How can we build gratitude?
Change your words
Instead of seeing something as a problem, try to see the opportunities within it.
Our brains are very receptive and what we read or write can alter our emotional system.
Express it
This will not only make you feel good, but you will also get a positive response from others.
How can we build gratitude?
Notice more
Throughout your day, try to notice all the things that are going well; has someone opened a door for you, or smiled?
The basics
By being thankful for the small things every day, we are far more likely to be and stay healthy so that we can enjoy them.
What to do
Gratitude can lead to feelings of optimism, lower our blood pressure, and improve sleep quality.
- Write down what potential good aspects there are to the things you don’t feel like doing, or even what could be worse about it.
- Spend a few minutes writing down three things that you are looking forward to that day, or the good things that have happened to you that day.
- Say thank you to yourself for the things you have achieved, or managed to get through and changed that day.
Sales of battery
electric vehicles hit a record high last year.
Starts at £22,995 for the smaller battery
Available with either a 40kWh battery or a larger 52kWh pack, that offers almost 255 miles, the latest, retro-inspired Renault 5 is both a joy to behold and a hoot to drive.
The interior has been lavished with a level of detail that’s typically reserved for more expensive cars.
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A champion of EV efficiency
It offers a remarkable 491 mile range on a single charge from the 85kWh battery.
It is a technological masterclass inside with the ability to option screens that span the entire width of the dashboard, including an optional display for the front passenger.
Priced from £37,400
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It’s a lot of money to part with, but this is arguably all the car you will ever need.
The £89,000 Macan is a premium SUV that somehow manages to blend Porsche’s reputation for dynamics and sporty driving with everyday practicality.
The 95kWh batteries can go from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 21 minutes from the fastest public charging outlets.
With the business class-style six seat configuration costing a staggering £76,995, it is by far the most expensive Kia ever made, but it backs up its financial demands with a suite of genuinely useful and impressive onboard technology.
It’s fast, goes a long way between stops and charges relatively quickly but the interior is bland, the onboard technology is infuriating and the experience is devoid of emotion.
All of its gadgetry can’t disguise the fact that performance is weak, even for a typically zippy EV, the ride is fussy at slower speeds and it’s not in the least bit enjoyable to drive on a country road.
- While good value (prices start at £17,935) for the 200-mile max range, there are more interesting options from Hyundai, Citroen and Renault for similar money.
- It attempts to wow with tech, much of which hinders, rather than helps.
- There’s no tangible benefit over mounting your phone to the dash.
- Simply an average driving experience, adequate range and slow charging speeds.
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There are various factors driving school absence, but you only have to walk through a packed British beach on a Friday in June, or see families at the airport in September to know that term time trips have become far too normalised. Fines, which caused a furore when they first came in to existence in 2013, are clearly not working and in my view need to be more serious.
Everyone knows how term times work. They don’t change, they’re always set and always have been. Even if you’re childless, you’ll remember being at school and the really big gap of six weeks in the academic year.
Six weeks is plenty of time to take children away and if it’s more expensive at that time, arguably parents chose to have children, no one makes us do it and we know the financial implications of the decision when we make it.
I have three children, Eddie, now 22, Sammy, 17, and Annie, 15. I’ve searched and sorted holidays for us all for over two decades and, despite the potential saving of thousands, I’ve never taken them out of school for a jolly and I never would.
Don’t mistake my anger for envy. I take my children away during the school holidays like a lot of parents do. For me, it’s about fairness.
Schools aren’t voluntary, there isn’t an open door procedure where people can come and go as they like and it’s not opt-in attendance. There’s structure, learning, goals, assessments and a lot of planning that goes in to making the system, the classes, the teachers and the learning work.
Taking your child away in the middle of that disrupts their learning and routine. It’s also incredibly disrespectful to the teachers who are trying to plan activities or end of term ideas for the children to enjoy. Of course, it impacts the rule-abiding children too, who have to waste time going over vital topics and lessons their classmates missed. And, like my daughter experienced, they also miss their friends and don’t have them to play with while they’re gone.
Parents make vague claims about taking homework on their holidays and learning valuable lessons about other cultures, but I’m never conviced. It’s always down to the already busy teacher to help children catch up on the learning they’ve missed. The argument my friends who do it give me is that they enjoy much needed family time. Or that their trips to historical sites in Europe are educational. While I don’t disagree with both those points, they are absolutely able to execute them both between the end of July and the start of the new academic year in September.
The problem is that too many people now seem to see the rules as optional if they have enough money to ignore them. The fine has become part of the holiday budget rather than a punishment. Parents openly swap tips on social media about how much they’ll save by travelling in June instead of August, almost boasting that even after paying the penalty they’re still quids in. That completely undermines the point of having attendance rules in the first place.
It’s a bad example to set to kids. We spend years telling our children that rules matter, that commitments should be honoured and that education is important. Then some adults effectively tell them those principles only apply when they’re convenient. We can’t expect children to take school seriously if the adults in their lives are willing to treat attendance as negotiable because the flights happened to be cheaper.
I’m not suggesting for a second that children get punished when they get back to school. It wasn’t their decision to go. But I do think the financial sting needs to be sufficient that it’s a real deterrent: £80 is barely a slap on the wrist and that amount is absolutely not a deterrent when parents are saving hundreds or thousands on the bottom line of a holiday.
If you choose to have children, you agree to a silent code – that code includes everything from limitless patience to teaching them to tie their shoes and saying “please” and “thank you”. If attendance genuinely matters – and every government insists that it does – then the consequences for deliberately ignoring the rules should reflect that.