The Schools Forums (England) Regulations 2002

PART 2 ESTABLISHMENT, CONSTITUTION, MEETINGS AND PROCEEDINGS

Establishment of schools forum

2.  A local education authority shall establish a schools forum for their area by 15th January 2003.

Membership: general

3.—(1) A forum shall have at least 15 members.

(2) Each member of the forum shall be a schools member except that the relevant authority may appoint not more than one fifth of the total membership as non-schools members to represent relevant bodies as defined in regulation 5.

(3) The relevant authority may end the appointment of any forum member before the expiry of his term of membership if the member concerned ceases to hold the office by virtue of which he became eligible for appointment to the forum.

Election and appointment of schools members

4.—(1) The relevant authority shall appoint as schools members representatives of schools maintained by the relevant authority who have been elected in accordance with procedures determined by and for a length of term specified by the relevant authority.

(2) In determining the procedures referred to in paragraph (1)—

(a) the relevant authority shall ensure that schools members include a proportionate number both of representatives of primary schools and of representatives of secondary schools, having regard to the total number of pupils at primary schools, the total number of pupils at secondary schools and the total number of schools members elected under such procedures;

(b) where the relevant authority maintains one or more special schools, the relevant authority shall ensure that at least one schools member shall be a representative of such a school;

(c) where one or more schools maintained by the relevant authority are of a particular school category, the relevant authority may make arrangements to ensure that the number of representatives of such schools elected as schools members shall be appropriate having regard to the total number of such schools and the total number of schools maintained by the relevant authority.

(3) In this regulation—

(a) “primary school” means a primary school maintained by the relevant authority;

(b) “secondary school” means a secondary school maintained by the relevant authority;

(c) “representative” means either a head teacher or a governor of a school maintained by the relevant authority; and

(d) “special school” means a community special school or a foundation special school.

Appointment of non-schools members

5.—(1) Where the relevant authority determine that they will appoint non-schools members to the forum, they shall seek nominations for such members from relevant bodies.

(2) Within one month of the appointment of any member nominated under paragraph (1), the relevant authority shall inform schools maintained by them of the name of the member and of the relevant body in respect of that appointment.

(3) If, on notification of a complaint by any person, the Secretary of State determines that a non-schools member appointed by a relevant authority represents a body which in her opinion should not be represented on that relevant authority’s forum, she may direct the relevant authority to end the appointment of that person forthwith.

(4) In appointing non-schools members under paragraph (1), the relevant authority shall consider seeking nominations from—

(a) the Diocesan Board of Education for any diocese of the Church of England any part of which is comprised in the relevant authority’s area; and

(b) the bishop of any Roman Catholic Church diocese any part of which is comprised in the relevant authority’s area,

both of which shall constitute relevant bodies for this purpose.

(5) In this regulation, “relevant body” means a body (other than the local learning and skills council(1) for the relevant authority (“the LSC”) but including the relevant authority itself) which is identified by a relevant authority as appropriate for representation on a forum.

Meetings and proceedings of schools forum

6.—(1) The forum shall be quorate if at least forty per cent of the total membership is present at a meeting.

(2) The LSC shall be entitled to nominate an observer, who shall be entitled to attend all meetings of the forum.

(1)

The local learning and skills council was established under section 19 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 c. 21.