Do I have to send my child back to school when they reopen or will I get fined?

The government's announcements around how the UK will leave lockdown have created a lot of confusion.

One area where parents are especially concerned is the reopening of schools and whether they feel safe sending their children back, as early as June 1, as announced by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The goverment says that a phased return to school would begin with pupils in reception, year one and year six, if infection rates and the government's other tests at the time allow it. This could be as early as June 1.

But a petition, called 'Give parents the option not to send children back to school if they reopen in June' has had more than 400,000 signatures already.

Posted by Lucy Browne, the petition says, "I’m calling on the UK government to give parents and guardians the option of not sending their children back to school if they reopen in June - as Boris Johnson has suggested this could happen in England. As a mum I don’t want to face serious repercussions for making a choice I feel affects the safety of my daughter during a global pandemic.

"The UK now has the highest death toll in Europe and second highest in the world. Many of us have lost confidence in the government's handling of this crisis and feel it is too early to return children to schools. It seems it could pose risks not only to children but also teachers and those they live with - grandparents, parents and those underlying health conditions.

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"So far there has been little assurance of what measures will be made to protect people and manage these risks. Even drop-off and collection could increase risk of transmission among parents. We need the government to be transparent with us and put things in place before we can consider placing our trust in this decision.

"Parents should have a choice on whether or not they put their children in this scenario."

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Prior to the government imposing lockdown and closing schools, if a child was missing from school without a 'good reason', a parent could receive a Parenting Order, an Education Supervision Order, a School Attendance Order or a fine (sometimes known as a ‘penalty notice’).

Your local council can give each parent a fine of £60, which rises to £120 each if you do not pay within 21 days. If you do not pay the fine after 28 days you may be prosecuted for your child’s absence from school. You could get a fine of up to £2,500, a community order or a jail sentence up to three months.

But a government spokesperson for the department of education confirmed that parents of pupils not attending schools would not be fined for not sending their children back.

They said, "Parents of pupils not currently in school due to closures will not be fined, and there are no immediate plans for this to change when schools begin to reopen."