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Jon Platt

Isle of Wight father, Jon Platt, rose to national fame in 2015 after refusing to pay school absence fines he’d received from the Isle of Wight council (IWC).

Mr Platt had taken his six year old daughter on holiday during term time and argued – when taken to court by the IWC – that as she had over 93% attendance recorded the decision to take her out of school for a few days was his decision as a parent to take.

Isle of Wight Magistrates threw out the case, saying Mr Platt had no case to answer. The IWC took the case to the High Court for clarification. Mr Platt won again. The Department for Education then ‘requested’ the IWC appeal the decision in the Supreme Court and took over the case.

In April 2017, Supreme Court judges ruled in favour of the appeal and returned the case to the Isle of Wight Magistrates court. They ruled in favour of the IWC and Mr Platt was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £2,000..

Mr Platt appeared on national TV and was hailed a hero around the country for fighting the local council.

10, March 2015·2 min read

Extension of parking charges is killing local trade say Sandown businesses (updated)

The introduction of parking charges on Isle of Wight seafronts from 1st March has had a detrimental effect on the trade say Sandown businesses.

11, March 2015·1 min read

Campaign to shame owners of abandoned Sandown shops launched

Photos of empty parking bays in Sandown have sparked another push from residents for owners of empty shops and untidy sites to get their act together.

19, October 2015·1 min read

Jon Platt goes national with landmark Isle of Wight school fine triumph

Nettlestone resident Jon Platt, who took his daughter out of school for six days for a family holiday, was told he had no case to answer by Magistrates as she had an almost 94% attendance record. It's a landmark ruling for parents across the country.

30, October 2015·2 min read

Jon Platt school holidays fine case: Council launch High Court appeal (updated)

The magistrate said Mr Platt had no case to answer for non-payment of school absence fines, as his daughter had over 90% attendance. The council say they will seek clarification from the High Court on a matter of law.

2, November 2015·2 min read

Jon Platt school holidays fine case: Council reveal possible cost of High Court action

The cash-strapped council say there has been no interference by the Government and their decision to to appeal is solely on the interpretation of the law on school attendance. It won't be cheap though!

14, April 2016·1 min read

School absence fines High Court hearing date set

OnTheWight has chatted to Jon Platt to find out how he's feeling about the upcoming High Court hearing (the date's just been set) in the case that could have considerable repercussions across the Isle of Wight and beyond.

12, May 2016·2 min read

Jon Platt school holiday fines High Court case on Friday

The nation's media, not to mention parents of school children, will be waiting to find out which way the High Court judge will go on the case of school holiday fines tomorrow. OnTheWight will have the news as soon as the case is heard.

13, May 2016·2 min read

Jon Platt school holiday fines case: High Court ruling revealed (updated)

Find out whether Isle of Wight father Jon Platt was right to take his child, who had a 94% attendance record, out of school in term time for a family holiday. Today's High Court decision could make it a landmark case with a massive impact across the country.

Andrew Turner - Top 5 Things - 12 Jan 2015

13, May 2016·2 min read

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