Government spends £140K on term-time holiday case

ALMOST £140,000 of taxpayers’ money was spent pursuing a court case against a father who took his daughter on a week’s term-time holiday.

New figures show the Government paid out the equivalent of six new teachers’ salaries to take action against Jon Platt, who lost a landmark legal battle at the UK’S highest court earlier this year over taking his daughter to Disney World during school time.

The case was taken to the Supreme Court by education chiefs after High Court judges backed a decision by Isle of Wight magistrates that Mr Platt had no case to answer over the unauthorised seven-day trip to Florida in 2015.

Costs obtained by the Press Association under Freedom of Information laws show that as of May 10, the Department for Education (DFE) bill for the court cases was £139,891.93. This would pay the wages of around six newly qualified teachers for a year.

The figures come as the case returns on Friday to Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court. A DFE spokeswoman said: “We are pleased that the Supreme Court unanimously agreed with our position and removed any uncertainty for schools and local authorities: no child should be taken out of school without good reason.

“As before, headteachers have the ability to decide when exceptional circumstances allow for a child to be absent. The evidence shows every extra day of school missed can affect a pupil’s chances of achieving good GCSES, which has a lasting effect on their life chances.”

Mr Platt said: “I have always maintained that the costs of this have been a disgrace. The money would be much better spent on education.”