Ministers To Tighten Law On Term-Time Holidays

Ministers To Tighten Law On Term-Time Holidays


The Government says it will change the law on school attendance following a High Court victory by a man who took his daughter to Florida in term time.
Jon Platt took on Isle of Wight Council after it refused to accept an earlier court judgment that he had been right to take his family on a trip without permission.
Sky's Jonathan Samuels says many parents will now see the ruling as "carte blanche" to take their children out of school on holiday whenever they want.
The scenario of thousands of children missing several weeks of lessons prompted the Department for Education to issue a warning.
A spokesman said: "The evidence is clear that every extra day of school missed can affect a pupil's chance of gaining good GCSEs, which has a lasting effect on their life chances.
"We are confident our policy to reduce school absence is clear and correct.
"We will examine today's judgement in detail but are clear that children's attendance at school is non-negotiable so we will now look to change the legislation.
"We also plan to strengthen statutory guidance to schools and local authorities."
Samuels said that while parents may benefit from the ruling in the short term, in the long term they may find it harder to take their youngsters away.
The Government's statement came after two High Court judges backed Mr Platt.
He was prompted to take legal action after his six-year-old daughter's school fined him £60, and then doubled it due to his refusal to pay, after she and the rest of the family went on a trip to Florida in April 2015.
Mr Platt persuaded magistrates in the  Isle of Wight in October to overturn the fine , but the local authority appealed against the decision in the High Court.
Mr Platt had argued he had no case to answer as his daughter had attended school "regularly", a view the two High Court judges backed.
They ruled that the magistrates had been entitled to take into account the "wider picture" of the child's attendance outside of the days she was absent on holiday.
After the ruling, Mr Platt said he was "hugely relieved".
He added: "I know that there was an awful lot riding on this - not just for me but for hundreds of other parents."
But Isle of Wight Council leader Jonathan Bacon told Sky News: "My disappointment is that we haven't got a clear ruling of where the law is now.
"(The judges) haven't laid down a percentage or number of days but have simply said each case turns on its merits, which makes it very difficult for any local authority."
:: October 2015: Number Of Term-Time Holiday Fines Has Soared
Mr Platt told Sky News that his daughter had 12 days off during the last school year - an attendance rate of 93.7% - but that this had not hurt her education.
He added: "I should be entitled to decide what's best for my kids. I do not need a local authority telling me what's best for my kids."

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