Co-Parenting Education. Headteachers and school administrators can find themselves in a difficult situation when managing co-parenting education issues between separated parents of a student.
The school must act carefully to comply with the applicable rules and requirements and the parents need to know their rights and responsibilities. This recently published guidance from the Department of Education is very helpful for all involved in understanding and dealing with issues relating to parental responsibility – GOV.UK
Co-Parenting Education: Understanding Parental Responsibility in Schools
It is important for the school and parents to be clear about:
- Who is a ‘parent’ and who has ‘parental responsibility’?
- Who are the ‘resident’ and ‘non-resident’ parents?
What Schools Can Do When Managing Co-Parenting Education Matters
A couple of key points to bear in mind include:
- For instance, a resident parent cannot stop the school from fulfilling its legal obligations. This includes sharing important educational information, such as exam results or attendance records, with a non-resident parent who has legal rights to access them. However, schools can carefully redact sensitive information when necessary to safeguard the child or the resident parent from potential harm.
- However, the school can delete or limit certain information from the child’s educational record that is shared with the non-resident parent. eg; if it is necessary to safeguard the child or resident parent from a risk of serious physical or mental harm.
HGW Family Support for Co-Parenting Education Questions
These points can be difficult to work out and there isn’t enough space in this article to consider each in detail. The HGW Family team can provide expert guidance on all matters relating to co-parenting education. Whether you are a parent navigating your rights or a school administrator managing parental responsibilities, we can help clarify legal obligations, provide practical advice, and ensure everyone involved is confident in how to proceed. Contact your Friend-In-Law today to be fully informed and prepared.
Contact Your Friend-In-Law today.