(1)Where the Secretary of State has made proposals under section 502 in respect of which he is required to cause a local inquiry to be held, he may when he has considered the report of the person appointed to hold the inquiry do one or more of the following—
(a)adopt, with or without modifications, or determine not to adopt the proposals or any other proposals made by him under that section which he referred to the inquiry;
(b)approve, with or without modifications, or reject any other proposals which he referred to the inquiry; and
(c)make any such further proposals under section 502 as might have been made in accordance with the order or orders relating to the area of the local education authority concerned by the person or persons to whom the directions were given.
(2)Where the Secretary of State has made proposals under section 502 in respect of which he is not required to cause a local inquiry to be held and which he is not required to refer to such an inquiry, he may, after considering any objections made under subsection (5) of that section (and not withdrawn) within the period allowed under that subsection—
(a)adopt the proposals with or without modifications; or
(b)determine not to adopt the proposals.
(3)Proposals adopted by the Secretary of State under this section shall have effect—
(a)if they relate to a maintained school, as if they—
(i)had been made by the local education authority under their powers to make proposals for the establishment, alteration or discontinuance of schools, or
(ii)in the case of a voluntary school, had been made by the governing body under their powers to make proposals for the alteration of their school,
and had been approved by the Secretary of State under section 37, 43 or 169 or, as the case may be, section 340; and
(b)if they relate to a grant-maintained school, as if they had been made by the funding authority under those powers and approved by the Secretary of State under Part III or, as the case may be, section 340;
and the provisions of section 39 or 44 or Part III or, as the case may be, section 341 as to the approval of particulars of premises or proposed premises of schools shall have effect accordingly.