Legal fight against term-time breaks cost £140,000

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

The Government paid out the equivalent of six newly-qualified teachers’ salaries taking 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, which was closely watched by parents across the country, was taken to the Supreme Court by education chiefs after High Court judges backed a decision by local magistrates on the Isle of Wight that Mr Platt had no case to answer over the unauthorised seven-day family trip to Florida in April 2015.

Costs obtained 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 new teachers for a year.

The department, which had supported the Isle of Wight Council in bringing the case, said it was pleased the Supreme Court had agreed with its position and removed uncertainty around termtime trips for schools and councils. But Mr Platt said he thought the money could have been better spent on education.

A breakdown shows that total costs incurred by the DfE were £53,654.90 – made up of £1,872 for the High Court case and £51,782.90 for the Supreme Court case.

In addition, the department reimbursed the Isle of Wight Council a total of £86,237.03.

This includes £71,606.03 for the Supreme Court case. The DfE agreed to meet the local authority’s reasonable costs of the Supreme Court appeal.

It also includes £14,631 to cover Mr Platt’s costs in the High Court proceedings, which the council had been ordered to cover.

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.”

Mr Platt said: “I have always maintained that I thought the costs of this have been a disgrace.”