2017 No. 1316

Education, England

The Designation of Rural Primary Schools (England) Order 2017

Made

Coming into force

The Secretary of State makes the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred by section 15(7)(b) of the Education and Inspections Act 20061.

Citation and commencement1

This Order may be cited as the Designation of Rural Primary Schools (England) Order 2017 and comes into force on 27th December 2017.

Designation of rural primary schools2

The schools in the list called “List of designated rural primary schools 2017”, published on the Gov.uk website on 19th December 2017, are designated as rural primary schools in England.

Revocation3

The Designation of Rural Primary Schools (England) Order 20162 is revoked.

Signed on behalf of the Secretary of State

Lesley JonesDeputy DirectorDepartment for Education
EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order designates certain primary schools, in England, as rural primary schools for the purpose for section 15 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. It also revokes the Designation of Rural Primary Schools (England) Order 2016.

Section 15 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 requires that when either a local authority or governing body of certain schools formulates proposals for the discontinuance of a designated rural primary school it has regard to specific factors. These factors include the likely effect of discontinuance on the local community and any alternatives to the discontinuance of the school. Before publishing proposals for discontinuance the local authority or governing body must consult certain persons, for example, parents and, where the local authority is a county council, any district and parish councils.

This Order designates rural primary schools by reference to a list of such schools published on 19 December 2017 on the Gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rural-primary-schools-designation. When considering proposals to discontinue these schools, local authorities and governing bodies should refer to this list. A copy may also be obtained by writing to the Department for Education at the following address: School Organisation Policy Unit, Department for Education, Level 3, Bishopsgate House, Darlington, DL1 5QE.

A full regulatory impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private or voluntary sector is foreseen.