Education Act 1996

169 Approval or rejection by Secretary of State of proposals under section 167

(1) Proposals published by a local education authority under section 167 require the approval of the Secretary of State if subsection (2), (3) or (4) applies.

(2) This subsection applies if the proposals are for ceasing to maintain a voluntary school.

(3) This subsection applies if either—

(a) the Secretary of State, within the period of two months after the submission to him of the published proposals, gives notice to the authority that the proposals require his approval, or

(b) objections have been made under section 168 and any of them have not been withdrawn in writing within the period specified in section 168(2).

(4) This subsection applies if either—

(a) the proposals are first published after proposals for acquisition of grant-maintained status for the school have been published under section 193 but before those proposals are withdrawn or determined, or

(b) after the proposals have first been published but before they are withdrawn or determined, proposals for acquisition of grant-maintained status for the school are published under section 193;

and references in this subsection to proposals being first published shall be construed in accordance with section 168(5) and (6).

(5) Where any proposals require the approval of the Secretary of State under this section, he may (subject to subsection (6))—

(a) reject them,

(b) approve them without modification, or

(c) after consulting the local education authority, approve them with such modifications as he thinks desirable.

(6) In a case where subsection (4) applies, the Secretary of State—

(a) shall consider both sets of proposals together, but

(b) shall not determine the proposals published under section 167 until he has made his determination with respect to the proposals published under section 193,

and, if he approves the proposals published under section 193, he shall reject the proposals published under section 167.