LEGAL action against parents who have taken their children out of school in term time has been delayed in Dorset.

The County Council has decided to postpone action following a recent High Court ruling which has led to a rethink in the Department for Education.

The High Court recently decided that Jon Platt, a father from the Isle of Wight, would not have to pay a fine issued after he took his daughter on a holiday to Florida without permission from her head teacher.

Mr Platt argued that his daughter’s attendance record of more than 90 per cent met the requirement that parents ensure children attend school “regularly”.

As a result of the ruling, the Department for Education is now looking at possible changes to the law which could affect all local authority areas.

Around 200 penalty notices have been issued to parents in the Dorset County Council area since the start of the academic year in September.

A DCC spokesman said: “During 2015/2016 we have so far issued 195 penalty notices to parents who removed their children from school without the head teacher’s permission.

“Head teachers can only authorise absence in term time in ‘exceptional circumstances’. The fine is £60 per parent, per child if paid in the first 21 days, rising to £120 if paid between 21 and 28 days.

“We have a penalty notice protocol, which states that a fine can be issued if a child has 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a 12-week period.

“If parents refuse to pay, we move to legal action.

“We are about to take further action against some parents but, given the High Court ruling in the Isle of Wight case, these are now on hold.”

The spokesman added that there are nine further cases, which are yet to reach the end of the penalty notice period, that may have been subject to prosecution prior to the High Court decision.

Many parents have spoken out against legal action, arguing that they can only afford family holidays during term time.