31 Annual parents’ meetings.E+W
(1)Subject to subsections (7) and (8) below, the articles of government for every county, voluntary and maintained special school shall provide for it to be the duty of the governing body to hold a meeting once in every school year (“the annual parents’ meeting”) which is open to—
(a)all parents of registered pupils at the school;
(b)the head teacher; and
(c)such other persons as the governing body may invite.
(2)The purpose of the meeting shall be to provide an opportunity for discussion of—
(a)the governors’ report; and
(b)the discharge by the governing body, the head teacher and the local education authority of their functions in relation to the school.
(3)No person who is not a parent of a registered pupil at the school may vote on any question put to the meeting.
(4)The articles of government for every such school shall provide—
(a)for the proceedings at any annual parents’ meeting to be under the control of the governing body;
(b)for any annual parents’ meeting, at which the required number of parents of registered pupils at the school are present, to be entitled to pass (by a simple majority) resolutions on any matters which may properly be discussed at the meeting;
(c)for it to be the duty of the governing body—
(i)to consider any resolution which is duly passed at such a meeting and which they consider is a matter for them;
(ii)to send to the head teacher a copy of any such resolution which they consider is a matter for him; and
(iii)to send to the local education authority a copy of any such resolution which they consider is a matter for the authority; and
(d)for it to be the duty of the head teacher, and of the local education authority, to consider any such resolution a copy of which has been sent to him, or them, by the governing body and to provide the governing body with a brief comment on it (in writing) for inclusion in their next governors’ report.
(5)The articles of government for every county, controlled and maintained special school shall provide for any question whether any person is to be treated as the parent of a registered pupil at the school, for the purposes of any provision of the articles relating to the annual parents’ meeting, to be determined by the local education authority.
(6)The articles of government for every aided or special agreement school shall provide for any such question to be determined by the governing body.
(7)The articles of government for every special school established in a hospital shall provide that where the governing body are of the opinion that it would be impracticable to hold an annual parents’ meeting in a particular school year they may refrain from holding such a meeting in that year.
(8)The articles of government for every county, voluntary and maintained special school (other than a special school established in a hospital), the proportion of registered pupils at which who are boarders is, or is likely to be, at least fifty per cent., shall provide that where—
(a)the governing body are of the opinion that it would be impracticable to hold an annual parents’ meeting in a particular school year; and
(b)at least fifty per cent. of the registered pupils at the school are boarders at the time when the governing body form that opinion;
they may refrain from holding such a meeting in that year.
(9)In subsection (4)(b) above “the required number”, in relation to any school, means any number equal to at least twenty per cent. of the number of registered pupils at the school.