A father from the Isle of Wight, Jonathan Platt, has successfully contested a fine issued by the council after taking his young daughter on a family holiday to Florida during term-time.
Mr Platt was fined £120 by the council after he took his daughter on holiday despite the request being refused by her primary school. Upon his return, he refused to pay the fine and was taken to court by the council. However, he managed to win his case after he told magistrates that Section 444 of the Education Act did not put restrictions on holidays during term time, provided that pupils otherwise attended school regularly.Following the ruling, the council is now asking the High Court for clarification on what constitutes “regular” attendance at school.Mr Platt will now speak up on behalf of other parents when the council seeks High Court clarification on the law. He has setup a crowd funding page to raise money for the legal costs which are expected to be in the region of £25,000. He wrote on the page that he would spend the money on “nothing other than legal fees for solicitors and barristers” and that he is arguing “on behalf of all parents”.The contents of this article are intended for general information purposes only and shall not be deemed to be, or constitute legal advice. We cannot accept responsibility for any loss as a result of acts or omissions taken in respect of this article. Setfords Solicitors are a national full service law firm, with dispute resolution solicitors in Guildford and across the country.