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School holidays legal row council to review term dates

The council at the centre of a legal battle over unauthorised school absences is to review term dates.

Isle of Wight Council is to hold a major consultation on cutting its summer holidays to create longer half terms in the autumn or spring.

It was previously involved in a row with a father Jon Platt who refused to pay a fine for taking his daughter on holiday to Florida.

Platt lost his case at the Supreme Court in April, despite winning prior legal battles against the council.

Councillors agreed to start the consultation on November 24, the BBC reported.

Children’s services councillor Paul Brading said: “It was our pledge to examine options to give families more choice over when they take their holidays, while at the same time making term lengths more even.

“Our unwavering aim is to further improve attendance which will then drive up educational standards so we have all our schools rated ‘good’ or better by Ofsted.”

Platt, whose application to take his daughter out of school in 2005 was turned down, refused to pay the resulting £120 fine.

He was successful in the initial case brought by Isle of Wight Council when he argued his daughter had attended school regularly.

However, after the Supreme Court ruling in April, the case was returned to magistrates where Platt was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £2,000.

The case cost taxpayers £140,000.

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