Parents will be fined if they don’t send their children back to school in September, the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has warned.
Mr Williamson said parents must have a good reason not to send their kids to school otherwise would face penalties.
Credit: The Conversation
The plans to ensure that children return to school in autumn will be finalized at the end of this week, according to the Secretary.
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Mr Williamson’s statement suggested that school children will not face the social distancing measures in pubs and restaurants
Mr Williamson also suggested on Monday that the full return to school in September would not rely on social distancing in the same way as in pubs.
He said on BBC Breakfast that ‘It’s not about one metre, it’s not about two metres, reducing the number of transmission points’ within schools
He said the whole classes would become ‘bubbles’ separated from other pupils.
Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer had accused the government of being ‘asleep on the wheel’ on the issue of reopening schools.
He said while speaking on Sky News the government has shown ‘lack of planning’
He said: ‘If you could put up Nightingale hospitals – a good thing to do – you can certainly put up temporary classrooms, you can certainly take over libraries, community centres.’
On the latest plans, Mr Williamson told LBC: ‘It is going to be compulsory for children to return back to school unless there’s a very good reason or a local spike where there have had to be local lockdowns
‘We do have to get back into compulsory education as part of that, obviously, fines sit alongside that.
‘Unless there is a good reason for the absence then we will be looking at the fact that we would be imposing fines on families if they are not sending their children back.’
Meanwhile, teaching unions and headteachers have advised the government not to rush in introducing fines as the school needs time to build confidence in parents.
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