Heads will not fine parents who keep children home, unions tell No 10
HEAD TEACHERS have signalled they will defy orders to fine parents who fail to send their children back to school next week, claiming such punishments would be “counterproductive”.
No10 insisted yesterday that education was “compulsory” and that parents should be aware they would be fined as a “last resort” if they kept their children at home without permission.
Boris Johnson acknowledged that parents “are genuinely still a bit worried” about their children contracting coronavirus, but stressed that the danger was tiny.
He said: “All I can say is the risks are very, very, very small that they’ll even get it, but then the risk that they’ll suffer from it badly are very, very, very, very small indeed.
“I think it’s vital that parents understand that schools are safe and that teachers have gone to great lengths to get schools ready.”
Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said parents could raise any concerns with head teachers, but stressed that attendance was not optional.
Heads have the power to impose fines of £120 per parent, cut to £60 if paid within 21 days, for their child’s non-attendance, which can in extreme cases lead to fines of up to £2,500 and three months’ imprisonment if the matter goes to court.
Although guidelines vary between local authorities, heads can typically impose fines after five days of non-attendance, meaning they could start issuing fixed penalties just a week after the new term starts.
But unions representing head teachers made it clear that they will be telling their members not to do so.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “We think fines will be counterproductive now. Where families have deep concerns about coming back, we hope that through engaging with schools, their fears are allayed. Talking about fines now is unhelpful. They have always been there and have always been used sparingly. Members cannot say don’t use them but they are more motivated by co-operation rather than coercion.”
He said it was premature to talk about fines now, before the scale of any refusal to return was known.
“Let’s see how successful we are in getting children back, then review where we are,” he added.
Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NAS/UWT, the second biggest teaching union, said: “The Government needs to support schools to apply a sensitive approach that recognises the unprecedented nature of the pandemic and that some parents will have genuine safety concerns.
“Schools will need to be supported to apply the rules in a way which encourages children to attend school while working constructively with parents to overcome their concerns.”
The Association of School and College Leaders said there should be a “period of grace” before fines are considered, enabling schools to build confidence among parents.
Mr Gibb said: “Education is compulsory and I think parents can be reassured that the measures that schools are taking to make sure that we minimise the risk of the transmission of the virus are very effective.”
The Prime Minister said it was “absolutely vital” that England’s schoolchildren returned to the classroom, not only for their education but also for their physical and mental health.
He said: “Kids being out of school has been, I think, a risk for them physically because they haven’t been able to take exercise...but there’s also been pressure on their mental health. The best way to tackle any mental health problems is to get our kids into school.”
The Government has repeatedly said that schools will be the last thing to shut if there are local lockdowns.
‘Where families have deep concerns about coming back, we hope that through engaging with schools, their fears are allayed’