WIREDGOV

Councils respond to the High Court ruling in favour of a father who took his daughter on an unauthorised term-time holiday.

"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. This makes no allowances for what a family would class as a special occasion or takes into account a parent's work life.

"Families where parents work unsocial shift patterns, in the emergency services or whose jobs are tied to calendar commitments, can find that they are unable to take family holidays during school holiday periods.

"It shouldn't be that a tragedy has to befall a family for a child to get leave during term-time. There are many more joyous and positive occasions in life when consideration should be given to granting leave requests, such as a wedding or perhaps a sporting event involving a family member. These can have social and emotional benefits which are of lasting value and support to young people. And there are just times when a family should be able to come together to celebrate without worrying about prosecution or being fined.

"Blanket bans do not work and as today's High Court ruling shows, it's a system that is not always enforceable. We want to work with the Government to find a sensible solution whereby every family has the option to spend time together.

"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."