256Reconsideration of agreed syllabus
(1)For paragraph 12 of the Fifth Schedule to the [1944 c. 31.] Education Act 1944 (reconsideration of agreed syllabus) there is substituted—
“12(1)A local education authority shall cause a conference to be convened at any time required by sub-paragraph (2) or (3) of this paragraph for the purpose of reconsidering any agreed syllabus for the time being adopted by them which was adopted before the appointed day.
(2)Where they adopted the syllabus before 29th September 1988, they shall convene a conference within the period of one year beginning with the appointed day.
(3)Where they adopted the syllabus on or after 29th September 1988, they shall convene a conference—
(a)within the period of five years beginning with the date on which they adopted it, or
(b)within the period of one year beginning with the appointed day,
whichever is the later.
(4)A local education authority shall from time to time cause further conferences to be convened for the purpose of reconsidering any agreed syllabus for the time being adopted by them (whether adopted before, on or after the appointed day); and no such conference shall be convened later than the expiry of the period of five years beginning with the date on or after the appointed day on which—
(a)the authority adopted the syllabus, or
(b)the authority gave effect to a recommendation under paragraph 13 of this Schedule that the syllabus should continue to be the agreed syllabus.
(5)In this paragraph—
(a)“appointed day” means the day appointed for the commencement of section 256 of the Education Act 1993, and
(b)references to the date on which a local education authority adopt a syllabus include a reference to the date which the Secretary of State directs is to be the date from which a syllabus prepared under paragraph 11 of this Schedule is to be deemed to be the agreed syllabus.”
(2)In paragraph 13 of that Schedule (procedure on reconsideration of agreed syllabus)—
(a)in sub-paragraph (2), after “agreed syllabus” there is inserted “and it appears to the local education authority that the syllabus reflects the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian while taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain”, and
(b)in sub-paragraph (4)—
(i)“either” is omitted, and
(ii)after “unanimous agreement” there is inserted—
“(aa)the conference unanimously recommend that the existing syllabus should continue to be the agreed syllabus but the local education authority consider that sub-paragraph (2) of this paragraph prevents them from giving effect to the recommendation”.