Schools: Attendance

(asked on 24th June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his announcement in June 2020 that parents will not be fined for the non-attendance of children in school during the covid-19 outbreak, what his policy is on the length of time that moratorium will be in operation for.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 10th July 2020

In March when the COVID-19 outbreak was worsening, we made clear no parent would be penalised or sanctioned for their child’s non-attendance at school.

Now the circumstances have changed and it is vital for all children to return to school to minimise as far as possible the longer-term impact of the outbreak on children’s education, wellbeing and wider development.

This means that from the beginning of the autumn term, the usual rules on school attendance will apply. This includes parents’ duty to ensure their child attends school regularly, where the child is a registered pupil at school and they are of compulsory school age, and the availability to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices, in line with local authorities’ codes of conduct.

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