Sep 16, 2019

Child Contact – What Obligations do Schools Have?

Child contact is an increasing area of family law as the definition of family changes to keep up with society’s every changing view.

As we know all children need to be educated and many children will attend a school, but what are a school’s obligation to you as a parent?

It appears that many schools don’t even know what they are and what they should do if both parents ask for information about their child. This is of course complicated if both parents no longer reside with one another or have limited communication due to a difficult relationship. Increasingly it is the non-resident parent who are cut out of school communications. Whether this be for parents evenings or events such as school plays and sports day.

There is however a written set of guidelines for schools which explains who and what information they can share. Below is the link to the government website which details out in a step by step guide of information for schools. So next time you’re having difficulty with a school perhaps this document may help.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dealing-with-issues-relating-to-parental-responsibility/understanding-and-dealing-with-issues-relating-to-parental-responsibility#dutiesundereducatonlaw