13For subsections (2) to (5) of section 40 of the Education Act 1944 there shall be substituted the following subsections:—
(2)Proceedings for such offences as aforesaid shall not be instituted except by a local education authority; and before instituting such proceedings the authority shall consider whether it would be appropriate, instead of or as well as instituting the proceedings, to bring the child in question before a juvenile court under section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969.
(3)The court by which a person is convicted of an offence against section 37 of this Act or before which a person is charged with an offence against section 39 of this Act may if it thinks fit direct the authority who instituted the proceedings to bring the child to whom the proceedings relate before a juvenile court under the said section 1 ; and it shall be the duty of the authority to comply with the direction.
(4)Where a child in respect of whom a school attendance order is in force is brought before a juvenile court by a local education authority under the said section 1 and the court finds that the condition set out in subsection (2)(e) of that section is not satisfied with respect to him, the court may direct that the order shall cease to be in force.