Education Act 1996

[F1 [F2 332BA Resolution of disputes F3 ... E+W

(1) A local authority F4 ... must make arrangements with a view to avoiding or resolving disagreements between—

(a) authorities and children in their area about the exercise by authorities of functions under this Part, and

(b) authorities and parents of children in their area about the exercise by authorities of functions under this Part.

(2) A local authority F5 ... must also make arrangements with a view to avoiding or resolving, in each relevant school, disagreements between—

(a) a relevant child and the proprietor of the school about the special educational provision made for that child, and

(b) the parents of a relevant child and the proprietor of the school about the special educational provision made for that child.

(3) The arrangements must provide for the appointment of independent persons with the functions of facilitating the avoidance or resolution of such disagreements.

(4) In making the arrangements, the authority must have regard to any guidance given by the Welsh Ministers.

(5) The arrangements must comply with any provisions made in regulations by the Welsh Ministers that relate to the arrangements.

(6) The authority must take such steps as they consider appropriate for making the arrangements under subsections (1) and (2) known to—

(a) children in their area,

(b) parents of children in their area,

(c) head teachers and proprietors of schools in their area, and

(d) such other persons as they consider appropriate.

(7) The arrangements cannot affect the entitlement of a child or a parent of a child to appeal to the Tribunal, and the authority must take such steps as they consider appropriate to make that fact known to children, to parents of children and to case friends for children in their area.

(8) In this section—

• “authorities” means the governing bodies of maintained schools and the local authority;

• “relevant child” means a child who has special educational needs and is a registered pupil at a relevant school.

(9) For the purposes of this section a school is a relevant school in relation to a child if it is—

(a) a maintained school or a maintained nursery school,

(b) a pupil referral unit,

(c) an independent school named in the statement maintained for the child under section 324, or

(d) a school approved under section 342.]]

Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. 4 Ch. 1 repealed (1.9.2021 for the repeal of ss. 333(1ZA)(2)-(6), 334-335 and otherwise in force for specified purposes, 1.1.2022 for specified purposes, 1.9.2022 for specified purposes) by Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 (anaw 2), s. 100(3), Sch. 1 para. 4(9); S.I. 2021/373, arts. 3, 4, 6, 7 (as amended by S.I. 2021/938, art. 2); S.I. 2021/1243, art. 3 (with arts. 4-23) (as amended by S.I. 2021/1428, art. 2); S.I. 2021/1244, art. 3 (with arts. 4-21) (as amended by S.I. 2021/1428, art. 3); S.I. 2021/1245, arts. 3, 4 (with art. 1(4)); S.I. 2022/891, art. 3 (with arts. 4-25); S.I. 2022/892, arts. 2, 3 (with arts. 4-18); S.I. 2022/893, art. 4; S.I. 2022/894, art. 3; S.I. 2022/895, arts. 3, 4; S.I. 2022/896, art. 3 (with arts. 1(7), 4-22); S.I. 2022/897, art. 3 (with arts. 1(8), 4-21); S.I. 2022/898, arts. 2, 3

F2 S. 332BA inserted (6.3.2012) by Education (Wales) Measure 2009 (nawm 5), ss. 5(3), 26(3) (as amended (5.5.2010) by S.I. 2010/1148, arts. 1, 5(2)); S.I. 2012/320, art. 3(d) (with art. 4(b))

F3 Word in s. 332BA title omitted (1.9.2014) by virtue of Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), s. 139(6), Sch. 3 para. 27(3); S.I. 2014/889, art. 7(a) (with savings and transitional provisions in S.I. 2014/2270 (as amended (1.4.2015) by S.I. 2015/505)

F4 Words in s. 332BA(1) omitted (1.9.2014) by virtue of Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), s. 139(6), Sch. 3 para. 27(2); S.I. 2014/889, art. 7(a) (with savings and transitional provisions in S.I. 2014/2270 (as amended (1.4.2015) by S.I. 2015/505)

F5 Words in s. 332BA(2) omitted (1.9.2014) by virtue of Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), s. 139(6), Sch. 3 para. 27(2); S.I. 2014/889, art. 7(a) (with savings and transitional provisions in S.I. 2014/2270 (as amended (1.4.2015) by S.I. 2015/505)