SCHOOLS were threatened with legal action by government ministers last night over fears many will shut early in a bid to halt the spread of Covid among pupils before Christmas.
Secondary schools across London and the South East of England are expected to tell parents that they will be closing early for the holidays.
And at least one council has already told some of its schools that it would support them to move to online learning only for the last week of term.
But senior sources at the Department for Education (DfE) have warned schools and councils that it would be prepared to apply for High Court injunctions to force them to stay open.
Presdales School, in Hertfordshire, is the first in the country to be told it could be taken to court over its plans to move to remote learning at the end of term.
The academy, which has since confirmed that it will remain open for all pupils until next Friday, was sent a “minded to direct” letter from the DfE and told that unless it backed down it would face legal action.
It comes as mass coronavirus testing is being rolled out at secondary schools in parts of London, Kent and Essex in a bid to keep them open in the coming weeks.
But the announcement that mobile testing units are urgently being sent to schools across the capital is said to have “spooked” parents, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Headteachers are braced for a marked drop in attendance during the final week of term as parents keep their children at home rather than risk having to cancel Christmas plans if their child gets infected.
Parents who fail to send their children to school next week are unlikely to be fined, it is understood.
A DfE spokesperson said: “We are prioritising children’s and young people’s education and wellbeing, by keeping nurseries, schools, colleges and universities open.
“Schools should work with families to ensure children are attending full time. As usual, fines will sit alongside this, but only as a last resort and where there is no valid reason for absence.”
Downing Street has insisted that keeping classrooms open is a “national priority” and ministers are keen to avoid any more periods of closure after children missed up to six months of school during the national lockdown earlier this year.
