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UK Wedding News

06/04/2017

Dad Loses Term-Time Holiday Court Battle

A father who was fined for taking his daughter out of school for a week so that their family could go on holiday has lost his legal battle over the issue.

The row was focused on a week's holiday the family had taken to Disney World two years ago, but was taken without the head teacher's permission. Mr Platt was fined £60 but with non-payment this increased to £120. He then faced prosecution for failing to ensure his daughter's regular attendance at school. Despite the week absence, his daughter had regularly attended school over the course of the year, with an attendance rate of over 92%.

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Earlier legal battles had sided in favour with Jon Platt against a £120 fine in a case brought by the Isle of Wight council. However, today, Thursday, 6 April, the Supreme Court ruled against the father saying that if parents were able to withdraw children whenever they wanted it would cause 'unacceptable disruption'.

Lady Hale, in her judgement, said: "Unauthorised absences have a disruptive effect, not only on the education of the individual child, but also on the work of other pupils, and of their teachers", adding that allowing parents to decide when they wanted to remove their children would be a "slap in the face" to parents who kept to term-time rules.

Following the ruling, Mr Platt said that parents would find it "utterly shocking" that they require the "permission of the state" regarding school attendance.

"You are not the final arbiter of what's right for your child," he added.

The ruling, which upheld the appeal by the Isle of Wight council and the Department for Education, means that the case will return to the magistrates' court. Mr Platt has said he will continue to plead not guilty.

(JP)

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"A father who was fined for taking his daughter out of school for a week so that their family could go on holiday has lost his legal battle over the issue."