Education Act 1968

3 Approval or provision of school premises (miscellaneous amendments).

(1) In section 13 of the Education Act 1944—

(a) in subsection (6) (which requires submission to the Secretary of State of specifications and plans of the school premises of a proposed new county or voluntary school) after the words " specifications and plans of the school premises " there shall be inserted the words " if the premises are new premises (that is to say, if the premises do not comprise buildings used for a school at the time when the proposals are approved) or if the Secretary of State so directs "; and

(b) in subsection (7) (which requires those concerned to give effect to proposals for a new school after the proposals, specifications and plans have been approved under the section) after the words " under this section " there shall be inserted the words " or, in a case where specifications and plans are not required, when the proposals have been so approved and the Secretary of State has notified the authority or persons by whom the proposed school is to be established that specifications and plans will not be required ", and after the words " so approved " there shall be inserted the words " (if any) ".

(2) In section 7(2) of the [1948 c. 40.] Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1948 (which enables the prescribed standards for school premises to be relaxed by the Secretary of State in approving specifications and plans of a new school under section 13(6) of the [1944 c. 31.] Education Act 1944, and does so by reference to the proviso to section 10(2) of that Act as set out in subsection (1) of the said section 7) after paragraph (b) there shall be inserted the words " or if the Secretary of State is satisfied, on the submission to him of the specifications and plans of the school premises where the premises are to comprise the existing site or buildings of another school, as to the matters mentioned in paragraph (a) set out in the preceding subsection ".

(3) In the proviso to section 10(2) of the Education Act 1944, as set out in section 7(1) of the Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1948 (which proviso enables the Secretary of State in certain circumstances to permit school premises not to conform to the prescribed standards) for the words " having regard to shortage of labour or materials" in paragraph (c) there shall be substituted the words " having regard to the need to control public expenditure in the interests of the national economy ".

(4) If upon representations made to him by a local education authority the Secretary of State is satisfied—

(a) that the managers or governors of a voluntary school propose to make a significant enlargement of the school premises or alterations to those premises, and that it is desirable for them to do so for the better provision of primary or secondary education at the premises, or for securing that there is available for the area of the authority a sufficiency of suitable primary or secondary schools, or for both those reasons ; and

(b) that, having regard to the need to control public expenditure in the interests of the national economy, it is not reasonably practicable to effect the enlargement or alterations by providing permanent accommodation;

then, subject to proposals for any significant enlargement being approved under section 13 of the Education Act 1944, the Secretary of State may authorise the authority to provide, or assist in providing, temporary accommodation in accordance with arrangements approved by him; and Schedule 1 to the [1946 c. 50.] Education Act 1946 (which relates to the duties of the local education authority and the managers or governors with regard to the provision of sites and buildings for voluntary schools) shall not apply in relation to temporary accommodation provided by virtue of this subsection.