Parents who take their children out of school for term time holidays can be prosecuted, the Supreme Court has ruled as a "stubborn" father lost his landmark case on Thursday whilst appealing to parents not to follow his example.

Delivering their verdict, the judges ruled that Jon Platt, a businessman from the Isle of Wight who took his six-year-old daughter on a seven-day family trip in Florida in April 2015, should have paid a £120 fine for his daughter’s unauthorised absence.

The judges said he had shown a “blatant disregard of school rules” and that his approach had been a “slap in the face” to “obedient” parents who abide by the law.

Their ruling means that parents who take their children out of school on holiday - even if their child has regular attendance - can be prosecuted if they do not receive permission from the head teacher.