School Standards and Framework Act 1998

Community schools and foundation and voluntary schools without a religious character E+W

2 (1) This paragraph applies to— E+W

(a) any community school [F1 in England] ; and

(b) any foundation or voluntary school [F2 in England] which does not have a religious character.

(2) Subject to sub-paragraph (4), the required provision for religious education in the case of pupils at the school is provision for religious education in accordance with an agreed syllabus adopted for the school or for those pupils.

(3) If the school is a secondary school so situated that arrangements cannot conveniently be made for the withdrawal of pupils from it in accordance with section 71 to receive religious education elsewhere and the [F3 local authority] are satisfied—

(a) that the parents of any pupils at the school desire them to receive religious education in the school in accordance with the tenets of a particular religion or religious denomination, and

(b) that satisfactory arrangements have been made for the provision of such education to those pupils in the school, and for securing that the cost of providing such education to those pupils in the school will not fall to be met from the school’s budget share or otherwise by the authority,

the authority shall (unless they are satisfied that because of any special circumstances it would be unreasonable to do so) provide facilities for the carrying out of those arrangements.

(4) If immediately before the appointed day the school was a grant-maintained school (within the meaning of the M1 Education Act 1996), and in relation to the school or any pupils at the school the appropriate agreed syllabus as defined by section 382 of that Act was a syllabus falling within subsection (1)(c) of that section, then until—

(a) the end of such period as the Secretary of State may by order prescribe, or

(b) such earlier date as the governing body may determine,

the required provision for religious education in the case of the school or (as the case may be) those pupils is provision for religious education in accordance with that syllabus.

(5) No agreed syllabus shall provide for religious education to be given to pupils at a school to which this paragraph applies by means of any catechism or formulary which is distinctive of a particular religious denomination (but this is not to be taken as prohibiting provision in such a syllabus for the study of such catechisms or formularies).

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in Sch. 19 para. 2(1)(a) inserted (30.4.2021) by Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021 (asc 4), ss. 73, 84(1), Sch. 2 para. 42(4)(a)

F2 Words in Sch. 19 para. 2(1)(b) inserted (30.4.2021) by Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021 (asc 4), ss. 73, 84(1), Sch. 2 para. 42(4)(b)

F3 Words in Act substituted (5.5.2010) by The Local Education Authorities and Children’s Services Authorities (Integration of Functions) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1158), art. 1, Sch. 2 para. 10(2) (with Sch. 2 para. 10(4))

Commencement Information

I1 Sch. 19 para. 2 wholly in force at 1.9.1999; Sch. 19 para. 2 not in force at Royal Assent see s. 145(3); Sch. 19 para. 2(4) in force for certain purposes at 1.10.1998 by S.I. 1998/2212, art. 2, Sch. 1 Pt. I; Sch. 19 in force at 1.9.1999 in so far as not already in force by S.I. 1999/2323, art. 2(1), Sch. 1 (with arts. 3-5, Schs. 5-7).

Marginal Citations

M1 1996 c. 56.