Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of school closure for local elections on parents and children.

Elizabeth Truss

The Department has made no such assessment. Local returning officers can require a school to act as a polling station and may do so where no suitable alternative venue is available. It is often possible for schools to remain open in such circumstances, but whether to close is an operational decision for the headteacher. We expect headteachers to keep schools open whenever it is reasonable for them to do so.

Where a headteacher decides to close a school on polling day, we expect them to take all necessary steps to minimise any damage to pupils’ education. This may include making up the missed day later in the year, or combining the day with one of the five annual training days. We also expect schools to give as much notice as possible to parents of any school closures, including for local elections.