Can you be fined for not sending your child back to school? Latest rules and guidance

2 September 2020, 12:39

Can you be fined for not sending your child back to school? (stock images). Picture: Getty

Schools Minister Nick Gibb has confirmed that fines between £60 and £120 may be considered as a last resort.

This week, millions of children in England are returning to school for the new year.

And for many children, this will be their first time back in the classroom since March, when schools were closed for most pupils because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Attendance at school is now compulsory for children (except in some areas where there are local lockdowns), with the government calling for an end to home-schooling.

Speaking on 23 August, Prime Minister said the risk coronavirus poses to children is 'very small', but many parents remain concerned about allowing their kids to return to the classroom.

Many pupils will be returning to the classroom for the first time since March. Picture: PA

Can you be fined for not sending your kids back to school?

Schools Minister Nick Gibb has said that parents will only be fined 'as a last resort', adding that there is a 'moral imperative' for children to return to school.

According to a report by the Mirror, fines of between £60 and £120 could potentially be issued.

On 29 June, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson spoke about the possibility of parents being fined.

He said: "Fines are something that headteachers are very reluctant to use, they only use them as a last resort."

However, headteachers and teachers’ unions have been called on to "build confidence" with families by not rushing to use fines.

Many children in England are returning to school this week. Picture: PA

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said that he didn't know whether fines were the 'right approach'.

He said: "There will be many frightened and anxious parents out there, and this is very much a case of building confidence that it is safe to return, rather than forcing the issue through the use of fines."

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