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Should parents be allowed to take children on term-time holidays?
Supreme Court rules against father who took his daughter out of school to go to Florida
Jon Platt's attempt to overturn a £120 fine imposed on him by the Isle of Wight council - his local education authority – was rejected in a unanimous decision by judges at the Supreme Court, who upheld the government's ban on unauthorised term-time holidays.
The ruling clarifies that any parent who takes their child out of school on holiday can be fined or face prosecution if they do not receive permission from the head teacher.
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What are the arguments for banning parents from taking their children out of school?
Platt argued that his original fine was not justified because his daughter was at school more than 90 per cent of the time, the council's definition of "regular attendance".
However, Supreme Court deputy president Lady Hale said parents must comply with school policies and that upholding his argument would set an undesirable precedent.
"If one pupil can be taken out, whenever it suits the parent, so can others," she said, adding that violating term-time holiday policies "is unfair to those obedient parents who do keep to the rules".
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A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said the government was "pleased" with the verdict.
"The evidence shows every extra day of school missed can affect a pupil's chances of achieving good GCSEs, which has a lasting effect on their life chances," she said.
What are the arguments for allowing term-time holidays?
A government crackdown on children being taken out of school has elicited "complaints from families seeking to avoid the higher cost of school holiday travel", says The Guardian.
The difference can be stark. The cheapest Thomson holiday for a family of four from Manchester to Mallorca costs £226 the week before the May half-term, says The Independent, but the price rises to £461 a week later.
Platt accused the government of taking away parents' rights over their children.
The case has caused a mixed reaction on social media.
