Waive fines for missing school for first term, ministers told

THE biggest head teachers’ union today calls on the Government to introduce a one-term amnesty on fines for failing to bring children to school.

The National Association of Head Teachers urged Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, to take fines “off the table” during the winter term as they would be counterproductive and unlikely to persuade parents worried about risks from coronavirus.

The Government has told schools that fining parents £60 for non-attendance should be used as a “last resort”.

Paul Whiteman, the NAHT general secretary, said: “School leaders and their teams have stuck to their task and parents can have confidence that they

‘If you are a parent and you are worried about safety, a fine is unlikely to make you feel any safer’

have taken every practical step to be ready to welcome pupils back. We hope that attendance will be as close to 100 per cent as possible, but we understand that there will still be some families who do not yet feel ready to return.

“If you are a parent and you are worried about safety, a fine is unlikely to make you feel any safer. The Government understands this, but the threat still remains, so we’re urging the Government to take the threat of fines off the table, for the coming term.

“We can see few circumstances in which a fine would be appropriate in this ‘Covid term’.”

Geoff Barton, the Association of School and College Leaders general secretary, said: “Parents can have great confidence in the meticulous planning that has taken place. Schools will be focusing on the task of identifying where pupils have fallen behind with learning during lockdown, and tailoring support to bring these young people back up to speed as quickly as possible.”