02/07/2014 Spotlight

Figures obtained by BBC Spotlight show that in Devon around 900 fixed

penalty notices ` which include so called holiday fines ` h`ve been

Parents in Somerset have bedn fined more than 450 times.

But NO penalties have been hssued in either Cornwall or Dorset.

It comes after the government tightened up the rules on

when parents can take their children out of school to go on holiday.

Find ?120 for taking her datghter out of school and on holidax to

Thailand. BBC is taking timd off when business and herb tea room was

quieter rather during the btsy summer season was the right thing to

do for her family. Eight daxs out of the year isn't too much to liss she

has 97% attendance. I don't think she missed a great amount of work.

The number of fines handed out for unauthorised absence varies widely,

depending on where you live in the South West. I think something should

be done about the government ruling, changed in some forl. New

government rules mean that term time holidays can only be authorhsed in

exceptional circumstances. On the beach in Exmouth, parents h`ve mixed

views about whether taking children out of school to go on holiday was a

good idea. Cost is a massivd thing but people with different work

commitments and everything dlse there is a lot of different factors

as to why parents can always go away in the summer holidays. I c`n see

where they're coming from bdcause it is more expensive but the end of the

day they are jeopardising their children's education. Cornw`ll

Council says their policy would be only to use holiday fines if a

student was also persistently absent. Headteachers are not turning

a blind eye, they are working with parents, choosing to go for fines

may The firm says sales are 30 per cent

up on the same period last xear though they're not

at the level it wants yet. Plymouth's Theatre Royal saxs

its undecided about what should happen to a large mural by Rolf

Harris in the main dressing room. It was painted almost

20 years ago. Harris was yesterday found guilty of

12 indecent assaults on four victims Theatres

and galleries are celebrating and commiserating today after the Arts

Council announced which projects 83 organisations in the South West

are sharing ?60m in funding over Among the winners

The Bernard Leach Trust in St Ives But there was disappointment

for the Dorchester Arts Centre and Well, one place that is celdbrating

is the Carlton Theatre in Tdignmouth ` they've received ?750,000, which

along with other grants will allow People ask why the arts, thd arts

will pull the whole of the community together, the technology we will

happen here not only will assist business, it will also allow lots of

people to use it, such as young people, they are very high`tech

this place will be future proof They will be able to do all sorts of

things, it is good to be a practical space as well.

It looks quite promising for tomorrow, fair amount of sunshine

around, feeling warm and drx. The reason for the settled weather is

this region of high pressurd across much of southern Britain for the

next two days. A weather front is trying to get in from the North`West

increasingly cloudless. Fivd wins, gradually easing. Tomorrow, a lovely

day, plenty of sunshine, a build`up of cloud, it won't spoil thd day,

anywhere that to see a substantial amount of cloud will be across parts

of the high ground of its more. `` Exmoor. More cloud around on

Thursday, I don't think it will amount to much, and still pretty

warm. The real change comes on Friday, quite windy day and which at

times. more cloud on Friday. None of this

survives into the weekend, some rain around on Saturday.

It's certainly been a feast of football again. The temperature in

S?o Paulo was much the same as we had in Glasgow and Bristol. Here,

temperatures are set to climb higher in the next few days. Tonight,

rather than Brazil, it's more likely to be chilly. In rural areas we re

looking at low single figures for a while. Clear skies overnight. It is

setting us up for a sunny start to Wednesday. There will be changes

coming in from the north-west. The breeze will freshen in Scotland and

Northern Ireland. We have rain coming