Parents can be fined for not returning children to school in September, official guidance says

Parents can be fined for failing to return their children to school in September, official guidance said yesterday.

School attendance will be mandatory again from the start of the autumn term, meaning parents could face penalties if they do not comply.

Hours earlier, the Prime Minister’s spokesman suggested fines would be at headteachers’ discretion.

Downing Street told reporters that school heads would be able to judge whether parents should face fines if they refuse to send their children back to school in September.

The spokesman said: "Returning to school in September will be mandatory.

"It's always the case that headteachers do have some discretion. They know their pupils and their family situations.

"But, in general, children need to get back into school and get back learning again."

The official guidance says: “Missing out on more time in the classroom risks pupils falling further behind.

“School attendance will therefore be mandatory again from the beginning of the autumn term. This means from that point, the usual rules on school attendance will apply, including [..] the availability to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices in line with local authorities’ codes of conduct.”

This week, Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, said families may face fines if they keep their children at home, unless they have a "good reason" to do so.

A spokesman for the Association of School and College Leaders said: “We do not agree with the suggestion in the guidance of fixed penalty notices for unauthorised pupil absences. This is not the right message at this difficult time and we need to focus on building confidence rather than threatening sanctions.

“The government should make it clear to school leaders that there will be no expectation on them to issue fines from the start of term and that there will be a period of grace as attendance settles down.

At Thursday's Downing Street press conference, Mr Williamson also said schools that fail to re-open fully in September will face "very specific action".

The Education Secretary also insisted children would not be taught a "watered-down curriculum" when they return.

The guidance issued by the Department for Education says "substantial modification to the curriculum may be needed at the start of the year," meaning that "teaching time should be prioritised to address significant gaps in pupils' knowledge."

It goes on to state that the "aim" is for the curriculum to return to normal content "by no later than summer term 2021".

Mr Williamson said: "It is going to be a full and total curriculum that is going to be delivered for our children across all subjects.

"It's incredibly important that we have the same standards and rigour across our education system as we come out of lockdown as we had going into it.

"We are not going to be in a situation where we see vital subjects cut out of children's education.

"So, the idea that there will be a watered-down curriculum is totally, totally untrue."

The guidance says  "schools may consider it appropriate to suspend some subjects for some pupils in exceptional circumstances," although heads will have to show "this is in the best interests of these pupils".

It adds the focus for pupils in key stages 1 and 2 should be to "re-establish good progress in the essentials", which are listed as "phonics and reading, increasing vocabulary, writing and mathematics."

It says the curriculum should "remain broad" and that the "majority of pupils" are taught a full range of subjects including "sciences, humanities, the arts, PE and religious education."

For pupils in Year 7, it suggests teachers may need to revert back to parts of the key stage 2 curriculum to address "gaps in England and Maths".

For pupils sitting their GCSEs, it states that while the "vast majority" should continue to study all their subjects, in "exceptional circumstances" some in year 11 could drop a subject to help them catch up in core areas such as English and Maths.