The Education Reform(Northern Ireland) Order 1989

Provision of information

31.—(1) The Department may make regulations requiring each board to make available, either generally or to prescribed persons, such information relevant for the purposes of this Part as may be prescribed.

(2) The Department may make regulations requiring the Board of Governors or the principal of each grant-aided school to make available either generally or to prescribed persons—

(a) such information relating to—

(i) the curriculum of the school;

(ii) the educational provision made by the school for pupils at the school and any syllabuses to be followed by those pupils; and

(iii) the educational achievements of pupils at the school (including the results of any assessments of those pupils for the purpose of ascertaining those achievements); and

(iv) any other matter relevant for the purposes of this Part,

as may be prescribed;

(b) such copies of—

(i) any written statement made by the Board of Governors under Article 10(1)(b); and

(ii) any report prepared by the Board of Governors under Article 125,

as may be prescribed.

(3) Regulations under paragraph (1) or (2) may—

(a) provide for information and documents to be made available in pursuance of the regulations in such form and manner and at such times as may be prescribed;

(b) authorise boards, Boards of Governors and principals to make a charge (not exceeding the cost of supply) for any documents supplied by them in pursuance of the regulations.

(4) Before making any regulations under paragraph (1) or (2) theDepartment shall consult the boards, the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, the Boards of Governors and principals of all grant-aided schools and any other person with whom consultation appears to it to be desirable.

(5) Regulations under this Article shall not require information as to the results of an individual pupil’s assessment to be made available to any persons or bodies other than—

(a) the pupil concerned and his parents;

(b) the Board of Governors of the school attended by the pupil concerned;

(c) the Board of Governors of any other school to which that pupil applies for admission; or

(d) a body or person prescribed by the regulations,

and shall not require such information to be made available to any body or person mentioned in sub-paragraphs (b) to (d) except—

(i) in the case of information to which paragraph (6) applies, where the Department so directs;

(ii) in any other case, where necessary for the purposes of the performance by that body or person of any functions under the Education Orders.

(6) This paragraph applies to information as to the results of—

(a) any assessment of a pupil at a special school; or

(b) any assessment of a pupil in any subject at or near the end of a key stage, if at any time during that key stage any provision has been made under Article 14, 15, 16 or 17 in relation to that pupil excluding or modifying the application of Article 5 or 6 in relation to that subject.

(7) References in this Article to an assessment of a pupil are references to an assessment whether made under this Part or otherwise.