A High Court ruling in favour of a father who took his daughter on a trip during term-time has sparked a widespread debate on the law as it applies in England and a parent's right to take a child out of school for a holiday.
It is an issue that comes up regularly when people face paying significantly more for a family break during school holidays than if they travelled at other times of the year.
Jon Platt, who is originally from Northern Ireland but who now lives on the Isle of Wight, was fined £60 by his local council for taking his daughter to Florida in April last year. The fine was doubled when he refused to pay but when the matter came before magistrates, Mr Platt won his case.
The High Court dismissed the local authority's appeal, ruling that magistrates were entitled to take into account the child's wider attendance record, which was over 92 per cent.
Not surprisingly, this case has generated considerable interest with parents and teachers wondering where the law now stands.
The situation in Northern Ireland differs from England in that parents who take their children out of school in term time are not fined but a pupil will be referred to the Education Welfare Service if they miss 15 per cent, or around 30 days, of the academic year.
Schools can authorise a family holiday but only in `very exceptional circumstances' although it is certainly far from ideal for children to miss out on their education to any extent.
Mr Platt clearly feels very strongly on this issue and argues that schools are well able to manage sickness absence and the same can apply to family holidays.
Teachers may take a different view and it is reasonable for them to expect parents to cooperate with school policies.
However, fining people for taking children away for a few days does seem over the top and needs to be looked at again in light of this verdict.
