Court victory for father who refused to pay £120 school holiday fine (UK)

MailOnline 16 October 2015
A father who was fined £120 for taking his daughter to Disney World during term time has had the punishment overturned in a court victory.

Jon Platt spent £1,000 on lawyers’ fees while challenging the fine – but his victory could provide relief for thousands of parents who want to save money on family holidays.

Magistrates ruled that because Mr Platt’s seven-year-old daughter was only away from school for eight days, she was still attending ‘regularly’ and he had not broken the law.

The Government has cracked down on unauthorised absences from schools, telling headteachers that they can no longer let children go on holiday during the term.

But after Mr Platt’s success in court, councils may now be reluctant to impose fines on parents who remove their children from schools for a short time.

Campaigners welcomed the ruling, claiming that it could ‘turn the tide’ for parents seeking greater flexibility on when they can take their children on holiday.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3275767/Court-victory-father-refused-pay-120-school-fine-taking-daughter-7-Disney-World-holiday-term-time.html