Coronavirus Act 2020

PART 2 Scotland

Interpretation

9 In this Part—

• “the 1980 Act” means the Education (Scotland) Act 1980;

• “the 2005 Act” means the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005 (asp 6);

• “early learning and childcare” has the meaning given by section 46 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 (asp 8);

• “education” includes early learning and childcare, school education, further education and higher education;

• “education authority”, “grant-aided school”, “independent school”, “public school”, “school” and “school education” have the meanings given by section 135(1) of the 1980 Act;

• “educational establishment” means—

  (a)

  a school;

  (b)

  an education and training establishment approved by the Scottish Qualifications Authority under section 2 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1996 as suitable for presenting persons for SQA qualifications;

  (c)

  a further education institution;

  (d)

  a higher education institution,

  and is also to be construed in accordance with paragraph 11(6) to (8);

• “enactment” includes an enactment comprised in, or in an instrument made under, an Act of the Scottish Parliament;

• “further education” has the meaning given by section 6 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992;

• “further education institution” means—

  (a)

  a body listed under the heading “Institutions formerly eligible for funding by the Scottish Further Education Funding Council” or under the heading “Other institutions” in schedule 2 of the 2005 Act;

  (b)

  a college of further education which is assigned to a regional strategic body by an order made under section 7C(1) of the 2005 Act;

• “higher education” has the meaning given by section 38 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992;

• “higher education institution” means—

  (a)

  a body listed under the heading “Institutions formerly eligible for funding by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council” or under the heading “Other institutions” in schedule 2 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005;

  (b)

  a person who provides a course of higher education designated by the Scottish Ministers under regulation 4(9) of the Education (Student Loans) (Scotland) Regulations 2007 (S.S.I. 2007/154) for the purposes of regulation 3(2) of those Regulations;

• “managers”, in relation to a grant-aided school, has the meaning given by section 135(1) of the 1980 Act;

• “out of school care” means any form of care provided—

  (a)

  outside school hours;

  (b)

  during school holidays;

  to children who are in attendance at a school;

• “proprietor”, in relation to an independent school, has the meaning given by section 135(1) of the 1980 Act.

Duty to have regard to public health advice

10 (1) A relevant operator of an educational establishment must have regard to any advice relating to coronavirus from the Chief Medical Officer of the Scottish Administration or such other person as may be designated for the purposes of this paragraph by the Scottish Ministers.

(2) Before giving a direction under paragraph 11, the Scottish Ministers—

(a) must have regard to any such advice; and

(b) must be satisfied that the giving of the direction is a necessary and proportionate action for or in connection with the continued provision of education.

(3) In this paragraph, “relevant operator”, in relation to an educational establishment, is to be construed in accordance with paragraph 11(6) to (8).

Continuing operation of educational establishments

11 (1) The Scottish Ministers may give a direction under this paragraph (an “educational continuity direction”) that applies to—

(a) the relevant operator of one or more named educational establishments in Scotland;

(b) the relevant operators of all educational establishments in Scotland (or any part of Scotland);

(c) the relevant operators of a particular description of educational establishment in Scotland (or any part of Scotland).

(2) An educational continuity direction is a direction relating to the continuing operation of an educational establishment for a specified period.

(3) An educational continuity direction may provide that any failure to comply with a duty or time limit imposed under any enactment or rule of law relating to education is to be disregarded to the extent that it would be attributable to the direction.

(4) An educational continuity direction may—

(a) confer additional functions on a relevant operator relating to—

(i) the provision of early learning and childcare, school education, further education or higher education;

(ii) the provision of related services (for example, out of school care);

(iii) the use of the operator’s premises for the purpose of protecting public health;

(b) require an educational establishment to open, to stay open, to re-open, or to open at times when it would not usually be open;

(c) require a relevant operator to allow specified people or people of a specified description to attend an educational establishment or relevant premises for which the operator is responsible;

(d) provide for or require specified people or people of a specified description to attend a specified educational establishment or specified premises for the purposes of receiving early learning and childcare, school education, further education or higher education there;

(e) prohibit access in respect of the whole or a specified part of an educational establishment or of relevant premises;

(f) prohibit access in respect of the carrying on of all activities or in respect of the carrying on of specified activities;

(g) require measures to ensure safe standards of hygiene, and other measures to protect health, to be put in place;

(h) require the alteration of term dates, holiday dates or examination dates;

(i) require the taking of actions in general terms, or require the taking of particular actions, that the Scottish Ministers consider reasonable;

(j) make different provision for different purposes (for example, for different descriptions of people attending an educational establishment);

(k) be framed by reference to whatever matters the Scottish Ministers consider appropriate;

(l) make transitional, transitory or saving provision;

(m) make such other provision as the Scottish Ministers consider appropriate in connection with the giving of the direction.

(5) In this paragraph—

• “relevant premises”, means any premises (other than residential accommodation) which people attend in order to receive services provided by or on behalf of the relevant operator of an educational establishment there (see also sub-paragraphs (8) and (9)),

• “specified” means specified, or falling within a description specified, in a direction under this paragraph.

(6) In this paragraph, “relevant operator”—

(a) in relation to a school, means—

(i) where the school is a public school, the education authority by which it is managed;

(ii) where the school is an independent school, the proprietor;

(iii) where the school is a grant-aided school, the managers,

(but see also sub-paragraphs (7) and (8));

(b) in relation to a further education institution or a higher education institution, means the governing body of the institution (within the meaning of section 35(2) of the 2005 Act);

(7) Where out of school care is provided by a person in a school, “relevant operator” also includes such a person.

(8) Where school education, early learning and childcare or out of school care is provided by a person in premises other than a school—

(a) “relevant operator” also includes such a person, and

(b) references to “educational establishment” in this paragraph are to be read as if they were references to such premises.

(9) Where early learning and childcare or out of school care is provided by a person acting as a child minder (within the meaning of paragraph 12 of Schedule 12 to the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 (asp 8)) in premises used mainly as a private dwelling, an educational continuity direction may only apply to the part of the premises in which such care is provided.

Compliance and enforcement

12 (1) A relevant operator of an educational establishment must comply with a direction under paragraph 11.

(2) A relevant operator must have regard to any guidance given by the Scottish Ministers about how to comply with a direction under paragraph 11.

(3) The duty imposed on a relevant operator to comply with a direction under paragraph 11 is enforceable, on an application made by the Scottish Ministers, by interdict or (as the case may be) by specific implement.

(4) An application made under sub-paragraph (3) may be made without notice being given to the relevant operator.

(5) In this paragraph, “relevant operator”, in relation to an educational establishment, is to be construed in accordance with paragraph 11(6) to (8).

Publication, duration and review of directions

13 (1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2), the Scottish Ministers must publish a direction under paragraph 11.

(2) Where a direction relates to a person specified by name—

(a) the Scottish Ministers must give a copy of the direction to that person, and

(b) the published version of the direction must not identify any individual without their consent.

(3) A direction under paragraph 11 has effect until the earlier of—

(a) the end of the period specified in the direction, or

(b) the revocation of the direction by a further direction given by the Scottish Ministers.

(4) Where a direction under paragraph 11 makes provision mentioned in paragraph 11(3), the Scottish Ministers must, so long as it remains in effect, review the direction—

(a) before the end of the period of 21 days beginning with the date on which the direction was given; and

(b) before the end of each subsequent period of 21 days.