PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Pupils: Attendance (4 July 2017)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Supreme Court ruling on Isle of Wight Council v Platt in April 2017, what plans she has to work with her colleagues in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to address the issue of disproportionate holiday cost increases outside of school terms.

Asked by:
Mike Kane (Labour)

We are pleased the Supreme Court unanimously agreed with our position that no child should be taken out of school without good reason. As before, head teachers have the discretion to decide when exceptional circumstances allow for a child to be absent, but this ruling removes the uncertainty for schools and local authorities that was created by the High Court judgment.

The evidence shows that every extra day of school missed can affect a pupil’s chances of achieving good GCSEs, which has a lasting effect on their life chances.

We are examining the Supreme Court judgment carefully and considering what our next steps will be.

Answered by:
Nick Gibb (Conservative)
12 July 2017