Parents who take their children on holiday without permission during the school term will be fined as part of a government campaign to reduce truancy.

Police, school staff and local education officers will be given powers to issue on-the-spot fines to parents who "condone or ignore" their children's missing lessons without the agreement of the school's head.

"We regard taking children out of school for holidays without authorisation as truancy, pure and simple," education minister Ivan Lewis told yesterday's Observer.

"Parents who are doing it are irresponsible. The evidence is that many parents take their children away without any compunction whatsoever. We think it is totally wrong."