Father wins term-time holiday High Court ruling

A father who refused to pay a £120 fine for taking his daughter out of school to go on holiday to Disney has won his High Court battle.

John Platt argued that his daughter's 90 per cent attendance record counted as her being at school 'regularly' - and judges backed him.

Ministers say every day of school missed can damage a child's education, and have vowed to close the loophole.

ITV News consumer editor Chris Choi reports:

A father who won a High Court victory today over his daughter's absence from school said "hundreds of thousands of parents across England" will be delighted with the outcome of the landmark case.

Jon Platt had refused to pay a £120 fine for taking his six-year-old daughter out of school for seven days for a family holiday last year because of her regular attendance, but the Isle of Wight council pursued a case in the High Court.

"We've had to live with this draconian situation where taking your kids on a family holiday amounted to a criminal offence," Mr Platt said after the ruling.

Today's ruling raises the prospect of similar challenges from parents of children in English state schools, following rules on authorised absences being tightened in 2013.

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Campaigners have clashed live on ITV News over a High Court ruling on term-time holidays.

Jon Platt, who refused to pay a £120 fine for taking his daughter to Florida during term-time, won a court ruling in his favour.

The case could redefine how the law is interpreted.

Craig Langman, from the group Parents Want a Say, said he was "ecstatic" with the ruling, declaring that he believed "justice had been served".

But Kate Ivens, vice chair of Campaign for Real Education, disagreed, arguing that cheaper holidays was no justification for "taking children away from their education".

• Poll: Should parents be able to take kids on term-time holiday?

The dad who refused to pay a fine for taking his six-year-old daughter out of school for a family trip to Florida said today's High Court ruling is a "victory for common sense."

Jon Platt was fined £60 by Isle of Wight Council after he took his family on the holiday, which included a visit to Walt Disney World, without permission from his child's school.

The fine was then doubled when he refused to pay and the case went before Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court in October.

Mr Platt won but the local authority appealed against the decision.

Lord Justice Lloyd Jones and Mrs Justice Thirlwall dismissed the challenge, ruling that the magistrates had not "erred in law" when reaching their decision.

• Poll: Should parents be able to take their kids on holiday during term-time?

A father, who refused to pay a fine for taking his six-year-old daughter out of school for a family trip to Florida, has won a ruling in his favour at the High Court.

The court ruled that because of his daughter's regular attendance, Jon Platt had no case to answer.

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The High Court has ruled in favour of a father who took his daughter out of school to go on holiday.

Jon Platt refused to pay £120 for taking his six-year-old to Disney World Florida last year and because of her regular attendance, Isle of Wight magistrates ruled he had no case to answer.

But the council asked the High Court to rule on whether taking a seven-day absence amounts to regular attendance.

The ruling raises the prospect of similar challenges from parents of children in English state schools, for which tightened rules on authorised absences were introduced by the government in 2013.

• What are the rules for taking children out of school?