Education Act 1996

185 Duty of governing body to consider ballot on grant-maintained status

(1) The Secretary of State may by order provide for this section to apply to the governing bodies of all schools, or all schools in England or Wales, which are eligible for grant-maintained status.

(2) Where this section applies to a governing body of a school, they shall, at least once in every school year, consider whether to hold a ballot of parents on the question whether grant-maintained status should be sought for the school.

(3) Subsection (2) does not apply in respect of any school year if a ballot has been held in accordance with section 189 in the school year which precedes it.

(4) The annual report of any governing body to which this section applies shall include—

(a) a statement indicating that in the period since their last report the governing body have considered whether to hold a ballot of parents in pursuance of subsection (2) and giving—

(i) particulars of any decisions made by the governing body following such consideration and the date or dates on which they were made, and

(ii) if the governing body decided not to hold a ballot, an explanation of the reasons for that decision, or

(b) a statement indicating that in that period the governing body have not, for the reasons given in the statement, considered whether to hold a ballot of parents on the question of whether grant-maintained status should be sought for the school.

(5) In this section “annual report” means the report prepared under the articles of government for the school in accordance with section 161.