Parents won’t be fined if they do not send their children back to school in September when following medical or public health advice in Devon.

Cllr James McInnes, cabinet member for schools, confirmed at last Thursday’s Devon County Counci meeting that for parents and carers of children of compulsory school age, this means that the legal duty to provide their child with an education will apply at the start of the new term.

But he said that they won’t be going down the road of issuing fines to parents if they keep their child off school when following medical advice.

Cllr McInnes said: “In Devon, schools and the local authority will work with parents to support children back into schools and where children are not able to attend school, as parents are following medical and/or public health advice, the absence will not be penalised.”

Explaining the readiness of Devon Schools to reopen to all pupils in September, Cllr McInnes said that to ensure the full opening of schools in September is as safe as possible early years settings, schools and colleges have been putting in place proportionate protective measures for children and staff as laid out in the revised DfE guidance.

This guidance has been developed with advice from PHE and includes essential measures such as a requirement that people who are ill stay at home, robust hand and respiratory hygiene, enhanced cleaning arrangements, active engagement with NHS Test and Trace, and formal consideration of how to reduce contacts and maximise distancing between those in school wherever possible.