Education Act 1996

Complaints about registered and provisionally registered schools

469 Notice of complaint by Secretary of State

(1) This section applies where the Secretary of State is satisfied that one or more of the following grounds of complaint apply in relation to a registered or provisionally registered school—

(a) the school premises or any parts of them are unsuitable for a school;

(b) the accommodation provided at the school premises is inadequate or unsuitable having regard to the number, ages, and sex of the pupils attending the school;

(c) efficient and suitable instruction is not being provided at the school having regard to the ages and sex of the pupils attending it;

(d) the proprietor of the school or any teacher or other employee employed in the school is not a proper person to be the proprietor of an independent school or (as the case may be) to be a teacher or other employee in any school;

(e) there has been a failure, in relation to a child provided with accommodation by the school, to comply with the duty imposed by section 87 of the [1989 c. 41.] Children Act 1989 (welfare of children accommodated in independent schools).

(2) The Secretary of State shall serve on the proprietor of the school a notice of complaint stating the grounds of complaint which apply together with full particulars of the matters complained of.

(3) Unless any of those matters are stated in the notice to be in the opinion of the Secretary of State irremediable, the notice shall specify—

(a) the measures necessary in the opinion of the Secretary of State to remedy those matters, and

(b) the time, not being less than six months after the service of the notice, within which those measures are required to be taken.

(4) If it is alleged by the notice that a person employed as a teacher or other employee at the school is not a proper person to be a teacher or other employee in any school—

(a) that person shall be named in the notice,

(b) the particulars given in the notice shall specify the grounds of the allegation, and

(c) a copy of the notice shall be served on him.

(5) Any notice of complaint, or copy of a notice of complaint, served under this section shall limit the time, not being less than one month after the service of the notice or copy, within which the complaint may be referred to an Independent Schools Tribunal under section 470.

(6) In this section and sections 470 to 473 “employee” means a person employed in work which brings him regularly into contact with persons who have not attained the age of 19.

470 Determination of complaint by an Independent Schools Tribunal

(1) Any person on whom a notice of complaint or copy of a notice of complaint is served under section 469 may, within the time limited by the notice or copy, appeal against the notice by referring the complaint to an Independent Schools Tribunal.

(2) On the complaint being so referred, the tribunal, after giving all parties concerned an opportunity of being heard and after considering such evidence as may be tendered by them or on their behalf, may—

(a) order that the complaint be annulled;

(b) order that the school to which the complaint relates be struck off the register;

(c) order that the school be so struck off unless the requirements of the notice (subject to such modifications, if any, as may be specified in the order) are complied with to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State before the expiry of such time as may be specified in the order;

(d) if satisfied—

(i) that any premises alleged by the notice to be unsuitable for use as a school are in fact unsuitable for such use, or

(ii) that any part of such premises is in fact unsuitable for such use,

by order disqualify the premises, or that part, from being so used;

(e) if satisfied that the accommodation provided at the school premises is inadequate or unsuitable having regard to the number, ages and sex of the pupils attending the school, by order disqualify the premises from being used as a school for pupils exceeding such number or of such age or sex as may be specified in the order;

(f) if satisfied that any person alleged by the notice of complaint to be a person who is not proper to be the proprietor of an independent school or to be a teacher or other employee in any school is in fact such a person, by order disqualify that person from being the proprietor of any independent school or (as the case may be) from being a teacher or other employee in any school.

471 Determination of complaint by Secretary of State

(1) Where—

(a) a notice of complaint has been served on the proprietor of a school under section 469, and

(b) the complaint is not referred by him to an Independent Schools Tribunal under section 470 within the time limited by the notice,

the Secretary of State may (subject to subsection (2)) make any order which such a tribunal would have had power to make if the complaint had been so referred.

(2) If—

(a) it is alleged by the notice that a person employed as a teacher or other employee at the school is not a proper person to be a teacher or other employee in any school, and

(b) that person has, within the time limited by the copy of the notice served on him, referred the complaint to an Independent Schools Tribunal under section 470,

the Secretary of State may not make an order disqualifying him from being a teacher or other employee in any school.

472 Effect of personal disqualification

Where, by virtue of an order made—

(a) by an Independent Schools Tribunal under section 470, or

(b) by the Secretary of State under section 471,

a person is disqualified either from being the proprietor of an independent school or from being a teacher or other employee in any school, then (unless the order otherwise directs) he shall by virtue of the order be disqualified both from being the proprietor of an independent school and from being a teacher or other employee in any school.

473 Enforcement of disqualification

(1) A person is guilty of an offence if he uses any premises for purposes for which they are disqualified by virtue of an order made under section 470 or 471.

(2) A person is guilty of an offence if he—

(a) acts as the proprietor of an independent school, or

(b) accepts or endeavours to obtain employment as a teacher or other employee in any school,

while he is disqualified from so acting or from being so employed by virtue of an order made under section 470 or 471.

474 Removal of disqualification

(1) If on the application of any person the Secretary of State is satisfied that any disqualification imposed by an order made under section 470 or 471 is, by reason of any change of circumstances, no longer necessary, he may by order remove the disqualification.

(2) Any person who is aggrieved by the refusal of the Secretary of State to remove any such disqualification may appeal to an Independent Schools Tribunal within such time after the refusal has been communicated to him as may be limited by rules made under section 476.

475 Duty of Registrar to comply with order for the deletion of a school from the register

Where an order directing that a school be struck off the register is made—

(a) by the Secretary of State under section 468 or 471, or

(b) by an Independent Schools Tribunal under section 470,

the Registrar of Independent Schools shall strike the school off the register as from the date on which the direction takes effect.