This week I wanted to focus on the outcome of the Supreme
Court case last week in which the Judges ruled in favour of the Government
against a father from the Isle of Wight, Jon Platt, taking his daughter on
holiday during term time. The court case had arisen because of changes to
school attendance rules, which stop parents taking children on holiday during
term time. Mr Platt had originally won his court case but the Government took
it to Supreme Court and got the previous decision overturned.
This is an area in which I have consistently disagreed with
the Government. I have campaigned for the reversal of these rules including
leading and participating in several debates in Parliament since my election.
Needless to say this was a very disappointing ruling for me.
My view remains that this policy is wrong. The arbitrary
banning of holidays during term time is so unfair, especially to those in the
tourism industry or on low income, who will otherwise not get a chance to
holiday with their children during the summer months, whether due to work
commitments or not being able to afford the inflated prices charged by holiday
operators during the school holidays.
I do not believe it is the role of the Government to micro
manage families, this should rightfully remain the primary responsibility of
parents. In fact, this policy is divisive in many ways, leading to parents and
teachers being set against each other rather than working together for the
betterment of the children involved.
Every child is different and I believe it should be for
parents and heads to decide together whether an absence is acceptable or not.
This was previously the case with head teachers being given discretion to allow
a certain amount of leave during term time on a case by case basis. Time spent together
as families is just as important as classroom time and it is my long held
belief that children spending time with their families in educational and
informative settings outside of school can be just as, if not more educational
and informative in terms of life experiences than time spent in the class room.
I am pleased that in Cornwall though, Cornwall Council has
taken a sensible approach, informed by the numbers of parents and children
adversely affected by these rules, and fined far fewer people than the national
average.
This is not the end of the matter for me and I am
considering what steps I can now take to continue the campaign to get this
policy changed. The fight goes on and I will continue to work both locally and
in Westminster to highlight this issue and how unfair it is to people both here
in Mid-Cornwall and around the country.
As
always, my team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and work hard to
make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support. If there is an
issue you would like my assistance on then please contact me on either 01726
829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment
only, advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at:
www.stevedouble.org.uk/events
