The Education (School Information) (England) Regulations 1996

PART III INFORMATION TO BE PUBLISHED OR PROVIDED BY AUTHORITIES

General information to be published by authorities

6.—(1) An authority shall publish with respect to its policy and arrangements in respect of primary and secondary education (including such education provided in a middle school) in its area information in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 1.

(2) Where changes in respect of any of those matters have been decided on by the authority but not yet implemented, the authority shall also publish information about those changes.

(3) This information shall be published as provided in regulation 7.

Time and manner of publication by authorities of general information and particulars of school admission arrangements and related matters

7.—(1) This regulation shall apply in relation to the publication by an authority of—

(a) information in respect of the matters specified in Schedule 1;

(b) particulars of the arrangements mentioned in section 8(1), (3) and (4) of the 1980 Act(1); and

(c) particulars of the arrangements relating to voluntary aided or special agreement schools mentioned in section 8(2) and (3) of the 1980 Act where those particulars are being published by the authority on behalf of the governing body of the school pursuant to subsection (6) of that section.

(2) Such information and particulars shall be published during the publication school year and, except in so far as they relate exclusively to primary education or special educational provision, they shall be published no later than six weeks before the date up to which parents may express a preference for a school in respect of the admission school year.

(3) Subject to paragraphs (4) to (9), such information and particulars shall be published—

(a) by copies being made available for distribution without charge to parents on request, and for reference by parents and other persons—

(i) at the offices of the relevant authority, and

(ii) at every school maintained by that authority, other than a nursery school or a special school;

(b) by copies being distributed without charge to parents of pupils at schools maintained by the relevant authority, other than nursery schools or special schools, who, in the publication school year, are in the final year at such schools and who might transfer to other schools so maintained; and

(c) by copies being made available for reference by parents and other persons at the public libraries in the area of the relevant authority.

(4) So far as the information in respect of the matters specified in paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 of Schedule 1 is concerned (schools maintained by the authority), the information in respect of schools in a particular part of the relevant local education authority’s area need not—

(a) be made available at offices, schools and libraries outside that part; or

(b) be distributed to the parents of pupils who are at schools outside that part,

if information about how it may be obtained is available at those offices, schools and libraries or, as the case may be, is distributed to those parents.

(5) It shall be a sufficient compliance with paragraph (3)(a)(ii) if so much of the information and particulars as relates to schools classified as—

(a) primary schools;

(b) middle schools; or

(c) secondary schools,

(irrespective of the terminology used) is available only in schools of the classification in question.

(6) It shall be a sufficient compliance with paragraph (3)(b) if there is published so much of the information and particulars as is relevant having regard to the schools to which pupils in the final year at that school might transfer.

(7) So far as the particulars specified in Part II of Schedule 1 are concerned (special educational provision), paragraphs (3), (4), (5) and (6) shall not apply but the particulars shall be published—

(a) by copies being available for distribution without charge to parents on request, and for reference by parents and other persons, at the offices of the relevant authority; and

(b) by copies being available for reference by parents and other persons—

(i) at every school maintained by the relevant authority, and

(ii) at the public libraries in the area of that authority.

(8) Without prejudice to the foregoing provisions of this regulation, such particulars of the arrangements made by the relevant authority under section 7(1) of the 1980 Act(2) (appeals against admission decisions) and mentioned in section 8(1)(c) of that Act shall also be published by being set out in any document containing a notification to parents of a decision referred to in section 7(1) of that Act refusing their child admission to a school for which the parents have expressed a preference in accordance with arrangements made under section 6(1) of that Act.

(9) Information about the matters mentioned in paragraphs 7(2) and 18 of Schedule 1 (transport arrangements and policies) shall also be published by copies being distributed without charge to institutions within the further education sector or at which a further education funding council has secured provision which (in either case) the authority consider students resident within its area may wish to attend.

(10) The particulars referred to in paragraph (1)(c) shall be supplied to the authority by the governing body and shall be published without material alteration.

(1)

Section 8(3) of the 1980 Act was amended by section 31(2) of the 1988 Act.

(2)

Section 7(1) of the 1980 Act was amended by paragraph 73 of Schedule 19 to the Education Act 1993.