School Standards and Framework Act 1998

Chapter III Education action zones

10 Establishment of education action zones

(1) If the Secretary of State considers that it is expedient to do so with a view to improving standards in the provision of education at any particular maintained schools, he may by order provide for those schools to constitute collectively an education action zone for the purposes of this Chapter.

(2) An education action zone shall be established in the first instance for three years; but the Secretary of State may, by an order made before the end of that period, provide for the zone to continue in existence for a further two years.

(3) At any time when an education action zone is in existence, the Secretary of State may by order vary the order establishing the zone by adding to the schools for the time being included in that order—

(a) any school in relation to which section 15 applies by virtue of subsection (1), (4) or (6) of that section; or

(b) with a view to enabling it to achieve improving standards in the provision of education once it becomes a maintained school, any new school which has a temporary governing body.

(4) No order shall be made by the Secretary of State under subsection (1), (2) or (3) except on an application made for the purpose with the consent of the governing body of every school which it is proposed should be a participating school.

(5) Any school which ceases to be a participating school by virtue of subsection (2) may nevertheless be included in a further order under subsection (1).

(6) In this Chapter—

(a) references to a governing body shall be read as including the temporary governing body of a new school;

(b) “participating school”, in relation to an education action zone, means one of the schools for the time being included in the order under subsection (1) by which the zone is established.

(7) In this section “new school” has the meaning given by section 72(3).

(8) Unless the Secretary of State by order otherwise provides, nothing in this Chapter applies in relation to Wales.

11 Establishment of Education Action Forum for zone

(1) An order establishing an education action zone under section 10(1) shall provide for the establishment of an Education Action Forum for the zone.

(2) An Education Action Forum shall be a body corporate and shall be constituted in accordance with the order under section 10(1) by which it is established.

(3) The order shall require the members of an Education Action Forum to include—

(a) one person appointed by the governing body of each of the participating schools, unless the governing body of any such school choose not to make such an appointment; and

(b) either one or two persons appointed by the Secretary of State.

(4) Schedule 1 has effect in relation to an Education Action Forum.

(5) The Forum established for an education action zone shall be dissolved by order of the Secretary of State with effect from the time when the zone ceases to exist in accordance with section 10(2).

(6) An order under subsection (5) may make provision for the transfer of property, staff, rights and liabilities of the Forum and for the preparation of a final statement of accounts.

12 Functions of Education Action Forum

(1) An Education Action Forum shall have as its main object the improvement of standards in the provision of education at each of the participating schools.

(2) A Forum may, under arrangements made by the governing body of a participating school in respect of any prescribed function of that body relating to the conduct of the school, either—

(a) discharge that function on behalf of the governing body until such time as they may specify in a request to the Forum to cease discharging the function on their behalf; or

(b) assume full responsibility for the discharge of that function during the whole of the period for which the Forum remains in existence.

(3) Regulations may make provision—

(a) as to the circumstances in which the governing body of a participating school may make arrangements under subsection (2);

(b) for the procedure to be followed by such a governing body in connection with the making of any such arrangements;

(c) for the procedure to be followed by an Education Action Forum when discharging any function by virtue of that subsection;

(d) for statutory provisions relating to governing bodies of maintained schools to apply, with any prescribed modifications, to an Education Action Forum when discharging any function by virtue of paragraph (b) of that subsection.

(4) Regulations may, in relation to the discharge by an Education Action Forum of any function of a governing body under sections 54 and 57(1) to (3), Schedule 16 or paragraph 27 of Schedule 17, make any such provision as may be made by an order under section 81 (application of employment law during financial delegation).

(5) The Secretary of State may by a direction provide for any scheme under Chapter IV of Part II of this Act which relates to a participating school to have effect with such modifications as he considers appropriate in a case where an Education Action Forum is discharging any function in relation to the school by virtue of subsection (2)(b).

(6) Before giving a direction under subsection (5) the Secretary of State shall consult the local education authority.

13 Disapplication of pay and conditions order in relation to teachers at participating schools

For section 3 of the [1991 c. 49.] School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Act 1991 there shall be substituted—

“3 Special provisions as to schools in education action zones

(1) A pay and conditions order shall not apply to the statutory conditions of employment of the school teachers in a participating school the governing body of which—

(a) have, by notice to the Secretary of State, made an application for exemption; and

(b) pursuant to that application are for the time being exempted from subsections (6) and (7) of section 2 above by virtue of an order under subsection (4) below.

(2) Before making an application under subsection (1) above, the governing body of the participating school concerned shall consult the school teachers employed at the school with respect to the proposed application.

(3) A notice of application under subsection (1) above shall specify a date, at least three months after the date of the notice, with effect from which the governing body of the participating school concerned intend to make their own provision as to the statutory conditions of employment of the school teachers employed at the school.

(4) On receipt of a notice of application under subsection (1) above the Secretary of State may, by statutory instrument, make an order—

(a) naming the school; and

(b) specifying, as the date with effect from which, by virtue of the order, subsections (6) and (7) of section 2 above are not to apply, the date specified in the notice of application or such other date as may be agreed between the governing body and the Secretary of State.

(5) Where by virtue of an order under subsection (4) above a pay and conditions order ceases to apply in relation to any school, the statutory conditions of employment of the school teachers employed at the school shall be—

(a) such as may be determined by the governing body, or

(b) so far as the governing body have not made any determination with respect to any such conditions of employment, those having effect under the order immediately before it ceased to apply;

and (so far as necessary) the local education authority shall give effect to any such determination of the governing body.

(6) In this section “participating school” means one of the schools for the time being included in an order under section 10(1) of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 establishing an education action zone.”