(1)If the Secretary of State considers that it is expedient to do so with a view to improving standards in the provision of education at any particular maintained schools, he may by order provide for those schools to constitute collectively an education action zone for the purposes of this Chapter.
(2)An education action zone shall be established in the first instance for three years; but the Secretary of State may, by an order made before the end of that period, provide for the zone to continue in existence for a further two years.
(3)At any time when an education action zone is in existence, the Secretary of State may by order vary the order establishing the zone by adding to the schools for the time being included in that order—
(a)any school in relation to which section 15 applies by virtue of subsection (1), (4) or (6) of that section; or
(b)with a view to enabling it to achieve improving standards in the provision of education once it becomes a maintained school, any new school which has a temporary governing body.
(4)No order shall be made by the Secretary of State under subsection (1), (2) or (3) except on an application made for the purpose with the consent of the governing body of every school which it is proposed should be a participating school.
(5)Any school which ceases to be a participating school by virtue of subsection (2) may nevertheless be included in a further order under subsection (1).
(6)In this Chapter—
(a)references to a governing body shall be read as including the temporary governing body of a new school;
(b)“participating school”, in relation to an education action zone, means one of the schools for the time being included in the order under subsection (1) by which the zone is established.
(7)In this section “new school” has the meaning given by section 72(3).
(8)Unless the Secretary of State by order otherwise provides, nothing in this Chapter applies in relation to Wales.
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1s. 10(1) modified (temp.) (4.8.1998) by S.I. 1998/1878, reg. 2