LGA rejects ‘blanket ban’ on term-time holidays

The Local Government Association (LGA) has rejected a ‘blanket ban’ on parents taking their children out of school in order to go on holiday, following a recent High Court ruling.

The LGA dismissed the ruling as unenforceable and has called for a ‘sensible solution whereby every family has the option to spend time together’. The news comes after Jon Platt won a High Court victory after refusing to pay a penalty for taking his child out of school for a week’s holiday.

Commenting on the ruling, the LGA said: “Children's education is treated with the upmost seriousness, but it is clear that the current system does not always favour families, especially those that are struggling to meet the demands of modern life or have unconventional work commitments.

“There has to be a sensible solution whereby every family has the option to spend time together when they choose to, rather than tying families to set holiday periods.”

It added: “While councils fully support the Department for Education's stance on every child being in school every day, there are occasions when parental requests should be given individual consideration and a common sense approach applied.”