LEGAL PROMO
Legal lessons in pandemic education Lenka Wall and Sarah Inchley, education team at Russell-Cooke Solicitors
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id you know that neither World War II nor the Spanish flu of 1918 caused as widespread a disruption to learning as coronavirus has? Suffice to say, pupils, parents and teachers alike are grappling with huge challenges that give rise to novel legal questions.
Is my child entitled to attend school during lockdown, and, if so, do I have to send them? During lockdown, only two categories of children can attend school: • children of critical workers and vulnerable children such as those with child protection issues or an education, health and care plan (EHCP) 36
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• children who have difficulties engaging in remote education at home. It is unlawful for a school to refuse to admit a child that is entitled to attend and local authorities have an obligation to deliver special educational provision in an EHCP. Other children should not attend school and should be educated remotely. Government guidance encourages critical workers to keep children at home if they can, whereas parents of vulnerable children are ‘strongly encouraged’ but not required to send them to school. Attendance at school during lockdown periods is therefore an entitlement, not a legal obligation.
When schools open again, I am worried about sending my child back. Do I have to? Whilst some families have been counting down
