Ex-teacher wants holiday site to 'disrupt system'
A former teacher says she wants to "disrupt the system" with her website that finds holiday deals out of term time.
Rachel Bickford, 43, launched OTTO holiday club late last year, where she shares cheap deals online and via a mailing list free-of-charge for school staff and parents.
The former music teacher, who lives near Dereham in Norfolk, spent more than 20 years in education.
The National Education Union (NEU) said the enterprise could give teachers a better chance of travelling.
"We have a passion to go out and see the world and learn about different cultures, history, food and drink, and we want to share that with other people," she explained.
"Its such a shame the travel industry restrict people to paying premium price during school holidays."
'Through the nose'
Scott Lyons, Norfolk branch secretary of the NEU, said any website that could help save teachers money was a "good thing".
"Some people are drawn to teaching for the holidays and the chance to use the school holidays," said Mr Lyons.
"In reality, most teachers are shocked by the hugely inflated price of travelling during the school holidays."
Luke Greer, 45, has worked as a teacher in Norfolk for the past 22 years.
"It's incredibly frustrating when you try to book in the school holidays and you pay through the nose," he said.
He has signed up to the website and says "some of the deals are incredible."
Last year, the former Conservative Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said parents taking their children out of school during term time was partly to blame for an increase in absences.
More pupils in England were off school without permission in the last week of the 2024 summer term than at any point in the academic year.
The minimum fines for parents removing children without permission rose from £60 to £80 in September.
Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
