Letter: Out of school

Sir: School is not the only environment where children learn; they can gain a lot from being part of a family (of all shapes and sizes). Yet the British work ethic can often mean that one or both of the parents are away during all of a child's waking hours.

The Government should channel its energies into challenging the travel industry's insistence upon raising prices during every state school holiday period. This practice forces many families to make an unnecessary and uneasy choice between formal education and the only chance for the family to holiday together.

SARAH J CARTER

Colchester, Essex