This headteacher created a bonus week off for kids to go on cheaper holidays

Andy Stirland is leading the charge for Inset Weeks (Picture: On the Beach)

Record numbers of families are flouting fines to swap the classroom for the beach.

Almost half a million penalty notices were handed out last year for an unauthorised family holiday as more parents choose to travel at off-peak times.

Now, one headteacher says his school has a solution.

Andy Stirland, principal at Python Hill Academy in Nottinghamshire, is giving pupils one week off in the middle of term using a simple educational trick.