THOUSANDS of British parents are poised to have fines refunded after the High Court ruled that children can be taken on term-time holidays. But the Department for Education vowed to close the loophole and change the law to remove the requirement that school attendance is ‘regular’ – which will mean that every unauthorized absence would be illegal.
However, any such changes could take years to implement and in the meantime millions of families could book term-time holidays following the court ruling.
The landmark case was won by Jon Platt, from the Isle of Wight, who refused to pay a fine for taking his daughter on a family holiday to Florida. He made legal history after the High Court ruled he was not guilty of any criminal offence. The test case will help parents take term-time holidays without fear of being prosecuted – and potentially allow some of the 200,000 fines handed out over the years to be reclaimed.
The case highlighted the issue of the high cost of holidays during school breaks. Andrew Shelton, managing director of flight search website Cheapflights, said: ‘It's unsurprising that families are flouting the rules when it comes to taking children out of school during term time, as prices can rise significantly in line with demand during the holidays. A quick search on our site today shows that families can save up to 45% by travelling during term time; a flight to Lanzarote is just £204 in September, which represents a saving of £340 on the adult tickets alone against the August price of £374.
‘Hopefully, this ruling will lead to some relaxation of the rules to flatten out those peak demand periods, giving everyone the chance to enjoy the benefits of a family getaway.’
Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk
However, any such changes could take years to implement and in the meantime millions of families could book term-time holidays following the court ruling.
The landmark case was won by Jon Platt, from the Isle of Wight, who refused to pay a fine for taking his daughter on a family holiday to Florida. He made legal history after the High Court ruled he was not guilty of any criminal offence. The test case will help parents take term-time holidays without fear of being prosecuted – and potentially allow some of the 200,000 fines handed out over the years to be reclaimed.
The case highlighted the issue of the high cost of holidays during school breaks. Andrew Shelton, managing director of flight search website Cheapflights, said: ‘It's unsurprising that families are flouting the rules when it comes to taking children out of school during term time, as prices can rise significantly in line with demand during the holidays. A quick search on our site today shows that families can save up to 45% by travelling during term time; a flight to Lanzarote is just £204 in September, which represents a saving of £340 on the adult tickets alone against the August price of £374.
‘Hopefully, this ruling will lead to some relaxation of the rules to flatten out those peak demand periods, giving everyone the chance to enjoy the benefits of a family getaway.’
Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk
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