In this Act—

• “ child” includes any person who has not attained the age of 19 years and is registered as a pupil at a school;

• “ ordinary school” means a school which is not a special school;

• “ principal Act” means the M1Education Act 1944.

This Act shall come into force on such date as the Secretary of State may by order made by statutory instrument appoint and different dates may be appointed for different provisions or different purposes.

Any order under this section may make such transitional provisions as appear to the Secretary of State to be necessary or expedient in connection with the provisions thereby brought into force, including such adaptations of those provisions, or of any other provisions of this Act then in force, as appear to him to be necessary or expedient for the purpose or in consequence of the operation of any provisions of this Act before the coming into force of any other provision.]

This Act may be cited as the Education Act 1981, and this Act and the Education Acts 1944 to 1980 may be cited as the Education Acts 1944 to 1981.

This Act shall be construed as one with the principal Act.

The transitional provisions made by Schedule 2 to this Act shall have effect.

The enactments mentioned in Schedule 3 to this Act shall have effect subject to the minor and consequential amendments specified in that Schedule; and the enactments mentioned in Schedule 4 are hereby repealed to the extent specified in the third column.

This Act does not extend to Scotland or Northern Ireland.