School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013

PART 4 WELSH IN EDUCATION STRATEGIC PLANS

84 Preparation of Welsh in education strategic plans

(1) A Welsh in education strategic plan is a plan which contains—

(a) a local authority’s proposals on how it will carry out its education functions to—

(i) improve the planning of the provision of education through the medium of Welsh (“Welsh medium education”) in its area;

(ii) improve the standards of Welsh medium education and of the teaching of Welsh in its area;

(b) the local authority’s targets for improving the planning of the provision of Welsh medium education in its area and for improving the standards of that education and of the teaching of Welsh in its area;

(c) a report on the progress made to meet the targets contained in the previous plan or previous revised plan.

(2) A local authority must prepare a Welsh in education strategic plan for its area.

(3) A local authority must keep its plan under review, and if necessary, revise it.

(4) In preparing a Welsh in education strategic plan or revised plan, a local authority must consult—

(a) its neighbouring local authorities;

(b) the head teacher of each school maintained by it;

(c) the governing body of each school maintained by it;

(d) each institution within the further education sector in its area;

(e) in relation to any foundation or voluntary school in its area—

(i) the person who appoints the foundation governors, and

(ii) if the school has a religious character, the appropriate religious body;

(f) other prescribed persons.

(5) If a local authority carries out an assessment of the demand for Welsh medium education in accordance with regulations under section 86, it must take the results of that assessment into account when it next prepares or revises its Welsh in education strategic plan.

85 Approval, publication and implementation of Welsh in education strategic plans

(1) A local authority which has prepared a Welsh in education strategic plan must submit it to the Welsh Ministers for their approval.

(2) The Welsh Ministers may—

(a) approve the plan as submitted,

(b) approve the plan with modifications, or

(c) reject the plan and prepare another plan which is to be treated as the authority’s approved plan.

(3) If a local authority wishes to amend its plan, it must submit a revised plan to the Welsh Ministers.

(4) The Welsh Ministers may approve the revised plan, with or without modifications.

(5) The Welsh Ministers must consult a local authority before—

(a) they modify its plan under subsection (2)(b),

(b) they prepare another plan to replace the authority's plan under subsection (2)(c), or

(c) they modify its revised plan under subsection (4).

(6) A local authority must publish its approved Welsh in education strategic plan (or revised plan).

(7) A local authority must take all reasonable steps to implement its approved Welsh in education strategic plan (or revised plan).

86 Assessing demand for Welsh medium education

(1) The Welsh Ministers may require a local authority, in accordance with regulations, to carry out an assessment of the demand among parents in its area for Welsh medium education for their children.

(2) Regulations under subsection (1) may (among other things) make provision about when and how to make an assessment.

87 Regulations and guidance

(1) The Welsh Ministers may make regulations about Welsh in education strategic plans.

(2) The regulations may make further provision about the following matters (among other things)—

(a) the form and content of a plan;

(b) the timing and duration of a plan;

(c) keeping a plan under review and its revision;

(d) consultation during the preparation and revision of a plan;

(e) the submission of a plan for approval;

(f) when and how to publish a plan.

(3) The regulations may make provision enabling the preparation of a joint plan by two or more local authorities, and any such regulations may modify any provision of this Part in its application to joint plans.

(4) A local authority must, in the exercise of its functions under this Part, have regard to any guidance issued by the Welsh Ministers.