There are two different issues here - what parents 'should' do and what the law requires them to do. The first is subjective and qualitative in nature and the second is about interpreting the law as it stands.
With regards to the former I am of the view that parents should not take children out of school during term time unless there is an exceptional reason. With regards to the latter, I don't think that the law should interfere beyond requiring regular attendance in school.
It would be impossible to create a list that would identify all reasonable exceptions and disallow all unreasonable ones, as there will always be circumstances that have not been thought of. It is not fair just and reasonable to have draconian measures that might criminalise ordinary parents, so it is better not to do so.
Legally, I think the situation prior to Gove's intervention was fine and that Mr Jon Platt's interpretation of 'regular attendance' is both relevant and correct. I agree with the magistrate and the High Court judge and I disagree with the Supreme Court judgement.
It is quite clear that the public policy reasons given are politically motivated and of very poor legal quality. They sound more like the sort of thing parents say in the pub than an incisive, logical and well grounded legal decision.
The evidence on the contribution of missed school days and exam results was taken out of context and is therefore groundless. Private schools have longer holidays and more extracurricular activities during school term time yet consistently out-perform state schools.
The argument that it is unfair on parents who don't break the rules also fails to take account of parents who cannot get leave during the school holidays and want a family holiday once a year (not for religious observance or death and therefore not exceptional, but nonethelessan important part of family life).
It should also be remembered that the original reason for Gove's changes to the rules on granting permission for absence was to tackle persistent truancy. A week's holiday during term time is not a comparable issue - either in the damage it purportedly does to a child's education or in the disruption it might cause to the rest of the class.
Politically motivated judgements on test cases of this sort are an afoot to justice. This outcome is a gross incursion into the private lives of ordinary citizens, whether they wish to take their children on holiday in term time or not.