Member

Amendments 5 and 7, also in my name, are about registration and the contents of the register. They would make it no longer compulsory to provide the second parent’s name if it is not relevant to the child’s education. If the second parent’s name is not mandatory, the lone parent cannot be sanctioned for failing to supply it. The requirement to provide two parents’ names disproportionately impacts single parents, who may have to make an impossible choice between provoking their ex-partner and seeing their child forced back into school. Failure to comply may result in the lone parent having to choose between sending their child to school, which may not be the best place for them, and fines and imprisonment.