The Education Development Plans (Wales) Regulations 2002

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations revoke the Education Development Plans (Wales) Regulations 1999 with a saving in respect of the validity of existing plans, and apply in relation to local education authorities in Wales.

Section 6 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 requires every local education authority to prepare an education development plan (known in Wales as an education strategic plan) for their area.

These Regulations make provision with respect to full plans covering a period of 3 years and supplementary plans for the second and third years of the period of the full plan, including the period to which the statement of proposals contained in the plans must relate (regulation 4), the intervals at which the plans must be prepared and the date by which plans must be submitted to the National Assembly for Wales (regulation 5) and provisions as to publication of plans and supply of copies (regulation 6).

Part II of the Regulations sets out matters with which the statement of proposals in a full plan must deal. These include the authority’s priorities for raising standards, activities to be undertaken to address those priorities and the setting of progress targets in respect of those priorities (regulation 7); the authority’s policy for pupils with special educational needs, activities to promote those policies and the setting of progress targets in respect of those priorities (regulation 8); the authority’s policy on the promotion of racial awareness and their strategy for addressing racism in schools (in full plans from 2005 onwards) (regulation 9); the authority’s policy on education for looked after children (regulation 10); the setting of targets for the first and second years of the plan (regulation 11); achievements in respect of which targets must be set for pupils in the second and third key stages and for pupils who will attain the age of 16 years (regulations 12, 13 and 14); targets for examination entries for pupils who will attain the age of 16 years (regulation 15); targets for permanent and fixed term exclusions and for unauthorised absences (regulations 16, 17 and 18); and a summary of the information used by the authority in setting their targets (regulation 19).

Part III of the Regulations sets out the material which the annexes to a full plan must contain. These include a description of the key characteristics of the authority (regulation 20); a table showing the authority’s use of resources in support of a full plan (regulation 21); a table showing supplementary information on children with special educational needs and a description of the authority’s arrangements for monitoring the educational standards of such children (regulation 22); information on pupils from ethnic minorities (in full plans from 2005 onwards) (regulation 23); supplementary information on looked after children (regulation 24); information on pupils who are travellers' children and the authority’s arrangements in support of such pupils (in full plans from 2005 onwards) (regulation 25); an explanation of the authority’s proposals for monitoring their performance under the plan (regulation 26); a description of the consultation undertaken by the authority in preparing the plan (regulation 27); and a description of the authority’s committee and organisational structure (regulation 28).

Part IV of the Regulations sets out the requirements for supplementary plans. These include a summary of proposed steps to address any shortcomings in meeting targets (regulation 29); a statement of proposals containing an update of all the authority’s targets for the forthcoming two years (regulation 30); the authority’s policy on the promotion of racial awareness and their strategy for addressing racism in schools, in relation only to the supplementary plan for 2003—05 (regulation 31); an annex containing the authority’s assessment of the extent to which targets have been met (regulation 32); an annex containing statistical information on pupils with special educational needs (regulation 33); information on pupils from ethnic minorities (in the supplementary plan for 2003—05 only) (regulation 34); and information on pupils who are travellers' children and the authority’s arrangements in support of such pupils (in the supplementary plan for 2003—05 only) (regulation 35).