Covid-fearing Leeds parents could have to provide evidence to schools to avoid being fined for child absences

Parents keeping their children home from school due to fears around Covid-19 may have to provide medical evidence in order to avoid being fined.
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Senior officers at Leeds City Council claimed parents who had concerns around sending their children back to school amid the Covid pandemic should contact their child’s school and provide evidence of why their child is absent.

Members of Leeds City Council’s children’s scrutiny board also heard that schools have been told to have “individual conversations” with parents with concerns around sending children back to school.

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Schools in Leeds began reopening earlier this week, with all schools in the city expected to be up and running by mid-September.

Children will have to attend school unless they have documents showing why they should not be in school.Children will have to attend school unless they have documents showing why they should not be in school.
Children will have to attend school unless they have documents showing why they should not be in school.

During a discussion on attendance, Sue Rumbold, the council’s chief officer for children and families, told the meeting: “I have been working with the attendance team and our view is that if a child is being advised not to attend school, we would not fine those parents.”

Coun Abigail Marshall Katung (Lab) asked: “So they will need to have medical evidence? Is that correct?”

Ms Rumbold replied: “Yes. Each child who is on the shielding list assessed at the moment – that evidence will be available.”

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Coun Katung asked what would happen if a parent was shielding and was concerned at what would happen if their child caught the virus at school.

“I understand, and we will be wanting information and evidence,” Ms Rumbold responded. “We have had a case where a parent was very concerned about their child attending school because they were very concerned about their existing health condition.

“There will be a very small number of cases like that where we have to take a particular view.”

Val Waite, an education officer at the council, added that the mechanism which can see parents fined for their children failing to attend school starts with codes entered during daily registration. She claimed that there was a new “absent due to Coronavirus” code teachers could enter into a register, adding there was clear guidance around how and when teachers should use this.

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She said: “The advice we are sending is to have individual conversations with parents as to why children are not attending.

“If it is because of those particular personal circumstances, and we can provide the medical advice, the coding in the register for that young person will be that they are absent due to of Coronavirus.”

According to Leeds City Council’s website, non-attendance fines are £60 per child, per parent if paid within 21 days. If paid between 22 and 28 days, the fine is £120 per child, per parent. This covers the whole period of the child’s absence.

If the fine is not paid, parents or carers face prosecution.