Parents should not take their children on school holidays and have a responsibility to keep them in school, the new education secretary has told the BBC.
In her first interview in the role, Bridget Phillipson said there will “be consequences” for parents who fail to do so.
She said sanctions, such as fines, are a “well-established practice” and are “here to stay.”
“Honoring one’s responsibilities”
Minimum fines imposed by local authorities for removing children from class without permission for five school days will increase from £60 per child to £80 per child from August.
School principals have a say in which cases they refer to the board for possible fines.
Repeated failure to attend school can result in prosecution, a fine of up to £2,500, a community order and even a prison sentence of up to three months.
Ms Phillipson said it was important for parents to “honour their responsibilities”.
“Having children out of school not only impacts those children individually, it means teachers often have to collect materials because children have missed something,” she said.
Image source, Hope Rhodes/BBC
The education secretary also outlined plans for a major overhaul of what is taught in schools in England.
Launching the curriculum review on Friday, Ms Phillipson said all children should have a strong academic foundation in subjects such as English and maths, but also have access to music, art, drama and sports.
At Heworth Grange School in Gateshead, Erin Anderson is head of arts and culture, which covers subjects such as music and drama. She says access to these subjects makes pupils “assets to the community”.
“They learn so much by performing on stage,” she says.
“They learn to work in a team, to manage on their own, to speak with more confidence. They can perform and improve in front of others.”
Lucy, a ninth-grader, said she sometimes struggles in classes like English and science because she is “really dramatic,” but finds her creative subjects less stressful.
“When I do dance, theater and all that, I can be myself in my classes. I can be loud and it gives me a confidence boost,” she said.
Image source, Hope Rhodes/BBC
The Department for Education said that after the review, all state schools will have to follow the national curriculum up to the age of 16, including academies which are not currently required to do so.
Ms Phillipson also told the BBC she was committed to Labour’s promise to provide free breakfast clubs in all primary schools, but said it would “take time” to implement.
She also pledged to continue the rollout of government-funded childcare hours promised by the previous government, but said it would be a “difficult challenge” to ensure there were enough places available and the workforce in place to provide them.
Additional reporting by Hope Rhodes.
