The Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 2003

The common funding scheme for grant-aided schools

3.—(1) There shall be a scheme (“the common funding scheme”) for the funding of relevant schools.

(2) In this Part “relevant school” means a grant-aided school, other than a special school or a school established in a hospital.

(3) The common funding scheme—

(a) shall be prepared and adopted, and

(b) may be varied or replaced,

by the Department in accordance with the following provisions of this Article.

(4) The Department shall prepare a draft scheme after consultation with—

(a) the boards;

(b) the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools; and

(c) such other bodies and persons as it thinks fit.

(5) The Department shall send a copy of the draft scheme to—

(a) each board;

(b) the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools; and

(c) each body or person consulted by it under paragraph (4)(c).

(6) Each board shall, in such manner as the Department may direct—

(a) consult the Board of Governors of every relevant controlled and maintained school in its area about the draft scheme; and

(b) inform the Department of the outcome of those consultations.

(7) The Department shall consult the Board of Governors of every voluntary grammar school and grant maintained integrated school about the draft scheme.

(8) The Department shall consider —

(a) any views submitted to it by a body or person mentioned in paragraph (5); and

(b) the outcome of the consultations mentioned in paragraph (6) and (7),

and shall then—

(i) adopt the scheme (either in the form of the draft or with such modifications as the Department thinks appropriate); and

(ii) publish the scheme.

(9) Subject to the paragraph (10), the scheme may be varied or replaced by a subsequent scheme made under this Article.

(10) If in the opinion of the Department a subsequent scheme prepared by it does not make any significant change to the previous scheme, paragraphs (5) to (8) do not apply in relation to that scheme and the Department may adopt and publish the scheme.

(11) It shall be the duty of every board to give effect to the common funding scheme for the time being adopted under this Article.

(12) On such day as the Department may by order appoint the following provisions of this Article shall cease to have effect—

(a) in paragraph (6), the words “controlled and maintained”; and

(b) paragraph (7).