Kate Simon: Are you letting your kids go Awol this Easter?

School's out for Easter. But when will your kids go back – on the first day of term or later? Watch out, because the Government is back on the warpath about parents who let their kids skip school – and that includes to go on holiday.

Schools minister Vernon Coaker reported last month that though overall absence is down, "family holiday" is the second most common reason given for bunking off, accounting for around 5.9 million school days.

I've had playground chats with three fellow parents in the past week who are planning to take their children on holidays that will require nibbling a few days off one or other end of a term. Indeed, I've done it myself.

I once wrote a handwringing letter to my son's primary school explaining that the trip we planned would surely be of educational benefit to him. My guilt-ridden effort elicited a pat answer that the school's – in fact the borough's – policy was not to sanction any such leave and thus it would be deemed "unauthorised" – though I wasn't prevented from taking him away.

For a brief moment, there was hope that a solution could be found to this problem courtesy of the six-term academic year. But complex logistics seem to have put paid to that idea. So we're stuck with the fact that the free market demands holidays will always be more expensive in peak times, especially in August when all Europe's schools are on holiday, too.

Abta, the travel industry body, believes that there's little parents can do except look early, book early, and get on their local travel agents' radar. It offers a helping hand on its website, abta.com, with an area that features companies offering discounts on holidays in the school breaks.

Online travel agent Directline Holidays is one such company. It goes so far as claiming it is motivated to offer discounts on breaks by the school absence issue. Chief executive officer Maria Whiteman said: "We are running this offer in a new drive to discourage absence from school by enabling families to take their summer break during the traditional school holiday period." The company is offering up to £75 off family holidays departing between 17 July and 29 August, on top of £100 discount on all holidays booked online.

Other companies discounting in the holidays include Friendship Travel, Families Worldwide, Olympic Holidays, Just Sardinia, Mauritius Luxury Holidays, Austravel, The Adventure Company, Four Pillars Hotels and Macdonald Hotels.

But money isn't the only problem parents face. Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, the trade union representing 1.5 million public sector workers, warns: "A large proportion of women work in the public sector. In departments where there are many workers with school-age children, not everyone gets the time off. This year, pay freezes and uncertainty over jobs may mean people are fearful of taking a holiday."

Who knew holidays could be so stressful?

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