September 2020
Featured in this insight: Education, Children & young people
One in six parents 'seriously' considered not sending their child back to school due to Covid-19 fears: As children across England and Wales returned to school following closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, a survey of parents with school-aged children found that one in six (17%) seriously considered not sending them back because of Covid-19 concerns. Of these, 6% 'very seriously' considered it as an option.
The survey of 2,215 parents in England and Wales was conducted by YouGov on 27–28th August ahead of schools reopening.
According to the poll, there were more male parents who had considered not sending their children back to school than female, with more than a fifth of male respondents (21%) saying they had considered keeping their child out of school (12% had considered it 'fairly seriously', while 9% had considered it 'very seriously'), compared to 14% of female parents (10% 'fairly seriously'' and 4% 'very seriously').
Wearing masks in secondary school
The survey also asked parents if they think their children who attend secondary school should wear face masks when they return to school, with more than a quarter saying they should not (27%), compared to 57% saying they should. One in six said they 'did not know' (16%).
Fines for not sending children back
When asked about fines for not sending children into school, 45% of parents said that they think this is fair, compared to 42% who believe it to be 'unfair'.
View more of our sector specific insights: Education
