School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013

94 Duty of governing body of maintained schools to hold meetings following petition by parents

(1) The governing body of a maintained school must hold a meeting (“the meeting”) if it receives a petition from parents of registered pupils at the school requesting a meeting and it is satisfied that each of the following four conditions is satisfied.

(2) The first condition is that the petition contains the signatures of the required minimum number of parents of registered pupils at the school.

(3) The required minimum number of parents is the lower of the following—

(a) the parents of 10% of registered pupils, or

(b) the parents of 30 registered pupils.

(4) For the purpose of subsection (3), the number of registered pupils is to be calculated by reference to the number of registered pupils on the day the petition is received.

(5) The second condition is that the meeting requested is for the purpose of discussing a matter relating to the school.

(6) The third condition is that, should a meeting be held, there would be no more than three meetings held under this section during the school year in which the petition is received.

(7) The fourth condition is that there are enough school days left in the school year for the requirement in subsection (8) to be complied with.

(8) The meeting must be held before the end of a 25 day period.

(9) For the purpose of subsection (8), the 25 day period—

(a) begins on the first day after the day on which the petition is received (subject to subsection (10)), and

(b) does not include any day which is not a school day.

(10) If another meeting required to be held under this section as a result of a different petition (“the other meeting”) is held on a day during the 25 day period in subsection (9), but before the day on which the meeting is held, the 25 day period begins on the first day after the day on which the other meeting is held.

(11) The meeting is to be open to—

(a) all parents of registered pupils at the school,

(b) the head teacher, and

(c) other persons invited by the governing body.

(12) The governing body must, as soon as it reasonably can after receiving a petition that requires a meeting to be held, notify the parents of all registered pupils at the school in writing of the date of the meeting and the matter to be discussed.

(13) In exercising its functions under this section, the governing body of a maintained school must have regard to guidance given by the Welsh Ministers.