School Standards and Framework Act 1998

7 Approval, modification and review of statement of proposals

(1) Where a local education authority have prepared an education development plan in accordance with section 6, they shall, by such date as may be determined by or in accordance with regulations, submit the plan to the Secretary of State for him to approve the authority’s statement of proposals under this section.

(2) The Secretary of State may in the case of any statement submitted to him under this section—

(a) approve the statement in any of the following ways, namely wholly or in part, for a limited period of time, or subject to conditions;

(b) require the authority to make such modifications to the statement as he may specify; or

(c) reject the statement.

(3) If the Secretary of State approves the statement—

(a) he shall notify the authority of his decision; and

(b) the authority shall implement the proposals set out in the statement, so far as approved by the Secretary of State, as from such date as he may determine.

(4) If the Secretary of State requires the authority to make modifications or rejects the statement—

(a) he shall notify the authority of his decision and of his reasons for it, and

(b) the authority shall prepare a revised statement and submit it to the Secretary of State for his approval under this section by such date as he may determine.

(5) Once the Secretary of State has approved an authority’s statement of proposals under subsection (2), he shall keep under review the authority’s proposals, as approved by him, and their implementation by the authority, and—

(a) where he is of the opinion that the statement should be modified (or further modified), he may withdraw his approval and require the authority to make such modifications to the statement as he may specify; and

(b) where he is of the opinion that the authority’s proposals are not being properly implemented by them, he may withdraw his approval for such period as he thinks fit.

(6) If under subsection (5) the Secretary of State withdraws his approval of a statement of proposals—

(a) he shall notify the authority of his decision and of his reasons for it; and

(b) in a case falling within paragraph (a) of that subsection, the authority shall prepare a revised statement and submit it to him for his approval under this section by such date as he may determine.

(7) Section 6 shall apply to the preparation of a revised statement under subsection (4)(b) or (6)(b) above, with such modifications (if any) as the Secretary of State may determine.

(8) At any time after the Secretary of State has approved an authority’s statement of proposals under subsection (2)—

(a) the authority may submit modifications to the statement to the Secretary of State for his approval,

(b) the Secretary of State may approve the modifications, whether in whole or in part, for a limited period of time, or subject to conditions, and

(c) if and to the extent that he approves those modifications, he shall notify the authority of his decision and—

(i) the statement shall have effect with the modifications, and

(ii) the authority shall implement their proposals as modified,

as from such date as he may determine.

(9) Once the Secretary of State has approved—

(a) an authority’s statement of proposals under subsection (2), or

(b) the modification of an authority’s statement of proposals under subsection (8),

the authority shall publish their education development plan (or their plan as so modified) in such manner and by such date as may be prescribed, and shall provide such persons as may be prescribed with copies of that plan or of a summary version of that plan.

(10) In section 484 of the [1996 c. 56.] Education Act 1996 (education standards grants) references to “eligible expenditure” include expenditure for or in connection with the implementation by local education authorities of their education development plans.