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Parental responsibility

Parental responsibility and schools guidance

The Department for Children, Schools and Families has issued guidance to schools which states that everyone who is a parent has a right to participate in decisions about their child's education, including being treated equally in terms of having access to information. The exception to this is where there is a court order limiting a person's rights in this respect.

A parent includes:

  • All natural parents, whether they are married or not
  • Any person who, although not a natural parent, has parental responsibility for a child or young person
  • Any person who, although not a natural parent, has care of a child or young person in the sense that the child lives with them and they look after that child.

All such parents, including those who do not live with their child, have the right to:

  • Receive information from the school (e.g. copies of the governors' annual report, pupil reports and attendance records)
  • Participate in activities (e.g. vote in elections for parent governors)
  • Be asked to give consent if they ask to be consulted (e.g. to the child taking part in extra-curricular activities)
  • Be told about meetings involving the child (e.g. a governors' meeting on the child's exclusion, pupil reports)

This guidance is currently in the process of being updated. In the meantime, please refer to the note to the guidance attached below.

Attachments:

Download (.doc)Note to the guidance - download (.doc) (help)

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