Education (Grants) (Music, Ballet and Choir Schools) (England) Regulations 2001

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations consolidate, with amendments, the Education (Grants) (Music, Ballet and Choir Schools) Regulations 1995 which, with Regulations amending them, are revoked by regulation 15(1). They come into force on 1st September 2001 and apply in relation to a school year beginning on or after that date (regulation 1).

The Regulations provide for the payment of grant to the schools of music and ballet referred to in regulation 3(1) to reimburse them for their expenditure in operating the aided pupil scheme described in Schedule 1. That scheme allows schools to remit tuition and other fees, and to pay uniform and travel grant in respect of aided pupils.

The Secretary of State is also empowered to pay grant to—

(a) the Royal Ballet School in respect of their expenditure incurred in connection with the provision of education at the school, the staging of auditions and associated activities to attract new pupils to the school, and the maintenance of the school’s premises at White Lodge, Richmond Park (regulations 9 and 10), and

(b) the Choir Schools' Association Bursary Trust in respect of education provided to choristers aged between 8 and 13 attending a choir school supported by the Trust which is a finally registered independent school (regulations 11 to 14).

The amount of grant payable to the Royal Ballet School and the Trust is to be determined after consultation with them. Payment of grant may only be made in the case of a choir school in respect of pupils who satisfy the residence requirements specified in Schedule 1, paragraph 2.

Apart from minor drafting amendments, the main changes from the previous Regulations are set out below:

1.  In Part III the purposes in respect of which grant is payable to the Royal Ballet School have been extended so as to include the staging of auditions and associated activities to attract new pupils to the school and the maintenance of the school’s premises at White Lodge, Richmond Park, as well as the provision of education at the school (this is no longer limited to the Upper School).

2.  In Schedule 1 (which establishes the aided pupil scheme, sets out conditions of eligibility for aided places, provides for remission of fees and payment of grant and makes administrative provisions):

(a) the condition relating to residence (paragraph 2), which also applies in relation to grants to choir schools, has been revised to add a category of a child aged 16 years or over who has been ordinarily resident throughout the period of three years preceding the first day of the first academic year of the course in the European Economic Area. Where a child qualifies for an aided place by reason of this provision, there will only be an entitlement to remission of tuition fees and not costs of board and lodging;

(b) in paragraph 5 (conditions as to liability for payment of fees) we have added a provision that a school shall not select for an aided place a child the whole of whose fees for the school year in which he would take up his aided place if selected are required to be paid pursuant to a qualifying agreement (a legally enforceable agreement under which a person, being either a body corporate or an individual who is not a parent of the aided pupil, is required to pay school fees for the aided pupil);

(c) in paragraph 8, the reduction to be made in relevant income in respect of dependent relatives pursuant to sub-paragraphs (3) and (5) has been increased to £1,430 (from £1,400 in the previous Regulations);

(d) in paragraphs 14 and 15, the means test for the remission of fees has been amended: the level of income at or below which fees are to be wholly remitted is set at £9,798 instead of £9,832 (in respect of boarding pupils) and £12,148 instead of £11,804 (in respect of day pupils). In addition the structure of the parental contribution scales has been changed and tables have been added;

(e) in paragraphs 18 and 19, the means test for uniform and travel grants are relaxed and the amount of grant payable increased; and

(f) in paragraph 25(1) archaeology has been added to the list of subjects and the list of examinations has been expanded to include the Advanced Subsidiary and the Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education.

3.  In Schedule 2 a new provision has been added (paragraph 5) which provides for the transfer of aided places from one school of music or ballet to another.