No fines for parents keeping children out of school
PARENTS who keep their children away from primary schools after they reopen in June will not be fined under current guidance.
Education bosses at Lancashire County Council, which controls state schools in West Lancashire, have reassured residents after proposals were made for some pupils to return on June 1.
The decision to send children back to school is likely to be a difficult one for many parents, particularly those with vulnerable people in their household.
Initial proposals announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson say that pupils in Reception, Year One, and Year Six are to return to classrooms from June 1.
Official government guidance states that it “strongly encourages” children in those year groups to attend, but that parents will not be fined for non-attendance.
County council chiefs and school leaders are now in discussions over how and when they can safely return but there are suggestions that this may not happen at all schools as soon as the Government has suggested.
County Cllr Philippa Williamson, cabinet member for children, young people, and schools, said: “We are currently considering the Government’s plan for a phased return to school for children and young people in specific year groups.
“We have been working with head teachers across Lancashire and the Department for Education to put a considered, thought-out plan in place for an increase in pupil numbers for a while now. There is still significant debate about how and when it will be possible for this to happen safely in our schools.
“Although we recognise the need to help young children and their families to get back to some sort of normality, we have to be very careful in ensuring that the conditions and the timings are appropriate.
“In Lancashire we remain committed to the local circumstances regarding each individual school situation and the safety of our pupils and staff being of paramount importance. These specific circumstances will determine whether a school can have more pupils attending, or not.”
Schools in the area have remained open to allow children of key workers to attend when needed.