Yes we know the @educationgovuk guidance document is dire and has NO SCIENTIFIC basis.
Following the guidance will not be sufficient defence when a parent or staff member legally challenged your school risk assessment.
So, yep we get it no funding and no support from @educationgovuk means it’s difficult to do WHAT IS NECESSARY to prevent unnecessarily and knowingly exposing your staff, pupils and their families to increased risk of infection.
However, crafty @educationgovuk means it’s YOU not THEM that will face the initial legal action.
Whoever has conducted and signed a risk assessment that is found to breach H&S legislation IS LEGALLY LIABLE.
Worryingly SOME schools are referring parents who have refused to return their children to in-person education (due to the absence of scientifically recognised mitigations) to social services under ‘safeguarding’ reasons.
These schools know that fining parents will not force them to return their children.
These schools know that punitive measures for truancy will not hold up in court and will be costly to pursue - parents have legal representation in place.
These schools know that these parents have never had any safeguarding or attendance issues prior to covid.
Right now we’re discussing with one of our team of parents the absolutely agonising decision they have to make for Monday.
There are many many parents facing this right now in the U.K.
They’ve kept their primary child remote learning and refused to return them to an indoor setting that has no scientifically recognised mitigations for an airborne virus.
The school already has cases.
The school have given them an ultimatum, that they expect the child in school on Monday or they will start the prosecution process.
(The wording was a little more sinister than that ‘fines or something else’ implying social services referrals??)