Labour has urged ministers against fining the poorest parents over school attendance as the government laid out its plans for a mandatory return to the classroom in the autumn.
Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, said it was “critical” for pupils and for the national recovery to fully reopen schools as he unveiled guidance centred around keeping whole year groups in “bubbles” to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Fines for non-attendance have been suspended during the pandemic and parents have been able to opt whether to send their children back since schools began being reopened more widely in June.
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Mr Williamson said mandatory attendance would be brought back for September as the government wants all children who can be at school to return.
However, teaching unions and MPs have raised concerns about the safety of pupils and staff, with a headteachers’ union saying it would be “enormously challenging” to keep pupils in bubbles.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Williamson said: “Schools and colleges will need to work with families to secure regular attendance from the start of the new academic year with the reintroduction of mandatory attendance.
“Our intention is that those with education, health and care plans or special educational needs will also be back in school or college in September.”
Kate Green, the new shadow education secretary, said the government had been “asleep at the wheel” for most of the crisis, leaving headteachers to make “desperate pleas” for more clarity.
She urged Mr Williamson to rethink fines, saying: “I support the secretary of state in reintroducing compulsory attendance but fining poor parents will not serve the best interests of their children.
“Parents need reassurance that their children will be safe, especially in communities – including ethnic minority communities – where the prevalence of Covid is higher.”
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Ms Green told the Commons that the announcement finally recognises the “desperate pleas of heads, staff and governors for information” about plans for the next academic year.
“For too long, the government has been asleep at the wheel,” she said. “The announcement today comes just three weeks before the end of term and an immense amount needs to be done to prepare.”
Under the new guidance, all pupils in a year group or even the whole school could be sent home if there are two or more confirmed coronavirus cases within a 14-day period.
Mobile testing units will be dispatched to schools by local authorities “where an outbreak in a school is confirmed”, and small numbers of home testing kits will be made available for pupils and staff.
Schools have been told to avoid large gatherings, such as assemblies, and to avoid singing in school choirs. Break times should be staggered, as well as start and finish times to prevent children from coming into close contact with one another.
Desks should all be rearranged to face forwards, the guidance says, with children facing the front of the classroom rather than side by side. Unnecessary furniture should also be removed from classrooms to enable social distancing.
More details are expected to be set out by Mr Williamson at a Downing Street press conference on Thursday – the first time one has been held since daily briefings were scrapped last week.
Downing Street suggested headteachers would be able to judge whether parents should face being fined for failing to send their children to England’s schools in September.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “Returning to school in September will be mandatory.
“It’s always the case that headteachers do have some discretion. They know their pupils and their family situations.
“But, in general, children need to get back into school and get back learning again.”
