Jon Platt is nothing if not determined. He is the father who took his daughter out of school for a family holiday and has fought a two-year legal battle against the fine imposed upon him for doing so. Yesterday, when his case was rejected by the Supreme Court, Mr Platt declared himself “shocked” and vowed to continue his campaign against the restriction. He now faces costs of £10,000.

Under the 1996 Education Act, it is an offence for a parent not to ensure the “regular attendance” of their child in school. However, Mr Platt insisted that even though he took his daughter on holiday without the school’s permission, she was nonetheless a regular attender, with a rate of more than 90 per cent.