VIEWS & OPINION
Should families be able to go on holiday during term time?
Comment by STEVE PEACOCK, Partner at Weightmans LLP
The background is the recent High Court ruling in favour of Jon Platt, who successfully challenged the attempts to fine him for taking his daughter out of school for a family holiday during term time. In short, the court said he had
“no case to answer” because his daughter had attended school regularly. The legal proceedings have
reignited the emotive question: ‘Should families be able to go on holiday during term time?’ This is a debate that has been on-going since the DfE introduced new
rules in 2013 that Headteachers could only authorise absences during term time in “exceptional circumstances”. The schools minister, Nick Gibb, has made it clear he was
“disappointed” by the ruling. The Isle of Wight local authority has made an application for permission to appeal, with support of the minister. The DfE has stated it will take the lead in the appeal in response to its concern the decision represents a “significant threat” to the government’s drive to keep children in school. It is fair to say we are in a state of flux pending the outcome of
the appeal, which will take many months. Nick Gibb’s call for schools to ‘continue as normal’ by applying the current regulations that allow parents to be fined over unauthorised absences is not surprising. He has reiterated the DfE’s view that Headteachers should continue to refuse requests unless the ‘exceptional circumstances’ criteria is satisfied. Has Mr Gibb gone as far as ordering Headteachers to ignore a
High Court ruling? That would indeed be a curious thing – a Government minister openly encouraging the flouting of a High Court Judgment! I am unconvinced what Mr Gibb has stated can be put so bluntly
as an ‘order to ignore the High Court’. Whilst making the position of the DfE in response to the ruling clear – it does not accept the Judgment and intends to challenge it through legal process - it rather reigns back from an outright order to ‘ignore it’. The High Court decision rejecting the attempts to fine Mr Platt
did not establish a hard and fast rule that parents can now take their children out of school so long as they have a good attendance record; nor did it pave the way for parents who had been fined to now seek rescission of the penalty. As Mr Gibb has stated, each case will turn on its individual facts. And so … the debate rages on as the legal process continues …
What counts as ‘regular’ attendance? Where is the line to be drawn between the laudable drive to keep children in school and the argument family holidays are enriching experiences? When might a family holiday during term time meet the criteria of ‘exceptional circumstances’? The case continues to generate huge interest and will hopefully
provide more clarity on the issue. In the meantime, whilst the position remains in a state of flux, it will be interesting to see how Headteachers interpret and apply the ‘guidance’ from Mr Gibbs.
July/August 2016
In the face of a looming digital skills crisis, it’s essential that we bridge the digital divide if we’re to remain at the forefront of the technology industry. Data analytics has been described as the number one skill for the job market, but if the skills gap is not addressed, the digital economy will be severely hampered. From 2013 to 2020, the big data workforce is expected to grow by around 346,000 according to our research with The Tech Partnership, with demand for these jobs rising by 160 per cent over the same period. A widening skills gap is set to continue unless we provide significant
investment in skills. What we need to do now is make sure that students are aware of the real-world opportunities in front of them and how critical they are to businesses nationwide and globally. On top of that, the Internet of Things (IoT) will generate even more data,
increasing demand for analytics in real time on data as it’s being streamed. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that for the full potential of big data and IoT to be realised, both should be adopted together where possible. According to our research with the Centre for Economics and Business Research, big data analytics and IoT can add £322 billion to the UK economy from 2015 to 2020. Despite a low adoption rate today, nearly half (43 per cent) of UK
businesses are expected to implement IoT technologies by 2020. Driven by the rise of smart homes, wearable tech and other connected devices, the volume and variety of data will continue to burgeon. Clearly, the opportunities posed by IoT are expansive, and they have the potential to revolutionise the way businesses and governments operate, and the way people live. However, just collecting data is not enough. However advanced and
user-friendly the technology gets, we still need more data scientists and people in the workplace with skills in handling and analysing data to cut through the noise and meet the current demand. While there is clearly the need for these skills, it’s important to make it appealing to those from all backgrounds. As more organisations adopt data analytics, data science teams will need to differentiate themselves. Teams will need to comprise people with a complementary range of skills. There will be important roles for creative thinkers and those with the communication skills to explain analytical insights to management, so they can be easily applied in a business context. Not only do we need to up-skill our current workforce, we must deliver
these skills to young people in schools, colleges and universities. The next generation requires a solid foundation in areas like analytics, business intelligence and data management, to be able to compete on a global stage. Governments, businesses and individuals will increasingly turn to future data scientists to help transform the data deluge into intelligent insights that lead to better, quicker, evidence-based decisions. Analytical talent is in high demand – in fact, as already mentioned, it’s
the number one skill needed in the job market right now! If you’re interested in pursuing a career in data science, find out more about how SAS is working with academia.
www.education-today.co.uk 17
How to bridge the data divide
Comment by LAURIE MILES, Director, Global Cloud Analytics, SAS
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