Who is Jon Platt, what was the term time holiday Supreme Court ruling and what’s the fine for taking children out of school?
Dad-of-three slapped with a £2,000 fine by the Supreme Court after a legal battle that cost taxpayers £140,000
JON Platt is a dad who was taken to the Supreme Court to argue for a parent's right to take their child on holiday during term time.
He has been found guilty of taking his children to Walt Disney World during school and was slapped with a £2,000 fine - but what will happen now and can you get fined for taking your child out of school?
Who is Jon Platt and why was he fined for taking his daughter out of school?
Dad-of-three Jon Platt, 45, took his 7-year-old daughter to Florida during term time in April 2015.
The family holiday took place from 12-17 April, causing her to miss a week of school, because Mr Platt argued it was the only time all 17 members of the extended family could go.
Mr Platt's request for permission to take his daughter out of school was refused by her headteacher.
After the holiday he was issued with a fixed penalty notice, but he did not pay the £60 by the initial deadline, and was sent a further invoice for £120, which he also binned.
In October that year Mr Platt, who runs a PPI claims firm, took Isle of Wight Council to court to overturn the fine.
It was issued in response to 2013 guidelines brought in by then Education Secretary Michael Gove to crack down on school absences.
After spending £1000 fighting the case Mr Platt was successful in fending off the fee.
But the council pursued the case, taking it to the High Court where in May 2016 Mr Platt was again successful in fending off their appeal.
In December 2016 the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case and a one-day hearing took place in January 2017. It announced its ruling on 6 April.
On 23 June the Supreme Court slapped him with a £2,000 fine bringing an end to the epic two-year landmark legal battle which cost taxpayers £140,000.
The Department for Education has footed the bill, which is enough to pay six teachers for a year.
The dad said afterwards: “This is the end for me now, this has gone on for far too long and far too much money has been spent by me and the taxpayer.
“Way too much money has been spent but I’m not going to appeal it. I don’t agree with the magistrates’ decision but I’m going to respect it.
What was the council's case and Mr Platt's defence?
Isle of Wight Council accused Mr Platt of breaching section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996, which requires he ensures his daughter attended school regularly.
Mr Platt argued that he was not acting unlawfully because his daughter had a good overall attendance record of over 90 per cent.
The council prosecuted Mr Platt after he refused to pay a £120 penalty.
Local magistrates found there was no case to answer, but the authority then took its case to the High Court in London.
The High Court found that the magistrates were entitled to take into account the "wider picture" of the child's attendance record and ruled he did not break the law.
The decision caused a surge in term-time bookings all over England.
What happened during the Supreme Court hearing and what was the verdict?
At a Supreme Court hearing in January, the local authority, backed by the Education Secretary, argued that a child's unauthorised absence from school ''for even a single day, or even half a day'' can amount to a criminal offence.
But a QC for Mr Platt described the submission as a new and radical interpretation of the law which was absurd and would ''criminalise parents on an unprecedented scale''.
James Eadie QC, for the Education Secretary, argued it would be ''absurd'' if parents could go on holiday with children when ''the sun is out and foreign climes beckon'' in a way that ''undermined'' Government policy on unauthorised absences.
The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Government in its decision on 6 April 2017 — a surprise verdict that overturned the decisions of two lower courts.
How much can you be fined for taking your child on holiday during term time?
Your local council can give you a fine of £60, which rises to £120 if you don’t pay within 21 days.
If you don’t pay the fine after 28 days you may be prosecuted for your child’s absence from school.
If prosecuted you could get a fine of up to £2,500, a community order or a jail sentence up to 3 months.
The court also gives you a Parenting Order, which means you go to parenting classes.
Check rules on when you can be fined.
