The Supreme Court has today ruled unanimously in favour of Isle of Wight Council for issuing a fine of £120.00 to a father who took his child away on holiday during school term.
The father, who had won earlier court battles, argued that a £120.00 fine was unreasonable as his daughter had regularly attended school over the course of the year, with an attendance rate above 92%.
The Supreme Court ruled that the interpretation of "regular" attendance should be decided by the school.
Lady Hale said it would cause unacceptable disruption if parents were able to take away children from school whenever they wanted by saying "unauthorised absences have a disruptive effect, not only on the education of the individual child, but also on the work of other pupils, and of their teachers".
Lady Hale continued by saying it would be a "slap in the face" to parents who kept to the rules.
This is not legal advice; it is intended to provide information of general interest about current legal issues.
