Gibb pledges to act over term-time holiday ruling

Schools Minister Nick Gibb has said he will take ‘all measures necessary’ to overturn the High Court ruling which has prompted doubts over the term-time holiday regulations.

The announcement refers to a recent case where a parent was ruled as entitled to take his child out of school for a holiday due to the child’s otherwise good attendance.

Gibb made the comment in a response to an urgent question in the Commons from a conservative MP.

Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay, said: "Only eight per cent of school absenteeism is down to family holidays, and when you look at the attainment of those children, there is no drop-off on attainment.

"Family holidays are good for children, they widen their knowledge of their world, they widen their experiences, and the children of families who take them on holiday often perform better as a result."

Gibb replied: "The ruling represents a significant threat to one of the government's most important achievements over the last six years - improving school attendance.

"For this reason the government will do everything in its power to ensure head teachers are able to keep children in school. There is abundant academic evidence which shows time spent in school is one of the single strongest determinants of academic success.
Even a week off at secondary school can have a significant impact on a pupil's grades."

He added: "The need to take time off school in exceptional circumstances is important, but there are no special circumstances where a 10-day family holiday to Disney World should be allowed to trump attendance at school.

"The rules must and should apply to everyone, this is about social justice. When parents with the income available to take their children out of school go to Florida it sends the message that schools aren't important."