London: A British father who had challenged UK's strict policy over taking children on holiday during school term time has won his legal battle. Jon Platt's seven-year-old daughter had a perfect attendance record before he took her on an eight-day trip to Disney World in April. It was the only time that they could go on holiday with 17 relatives, the court was told.
He was fined 120 pounds in line with a UK government crackdown on term-time holidays, but Platt argued that his daughter's attendance record before the holiday meant that he had met his legal duty to keep her in school "regularly" under the requirements of the Education Act. The 44-year-old's case was due to be heard this week but magistrates halted the prosecution, saying that there was no case to answer and the fine was overturned.
"My kids' education is absolutely critically important to me but I'm also responsible for their welfare. If I think it will do them the world of good to go on holiday... with the 17 people who love them the most in the world I will do that. "If I thought my kids' education would be affected I wouldn't have taken them," he told 'The Times'. Platt, from the Isle of Wight, is divorced and shares custody of his two daughters.
In April, he took both his daughters on the vacation, including the younger daughter out of primary school for six days. However, as his other daughter, 10, attends a private school, there was no fine. The Department for Education said: "It is a myth that missing school even for a short time is harmless to a child's education.
"Our evidence shows missing the equivalent of just one week a year from school can mean a child is significantly less likely to achieve good GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) grades, having a lasting effect on their life chances.
"Heads and teachers are now firmly back in charge of their classrooms, and most recent figures show we have made real progress - with 200,000 fewer pupils regularly missing school compared with five years ago."
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