The Education Reform(Northern Ireland) Order 1989

Obligation to enter pupils for approved public examinations

136.—(1) Subject to the following provisions of this Article, the Board of Governors of every grant-aided school shall secure that each registered pupil at the school is entered, at such time as it considers appropriate, for each approved public examination for which he is being prepared at the school at the time in question in each syllabus for that examination for which he is being so prepared.

(2) Paragraph (1) shall not require a Board of Governors to secure that a pupil is entered for any examination, or for any examination in any syllabus for that examination, if either—

(a) the Board of Governors considers that there are educational reasons in the case of that particular pupil for not entering him for that examination or (as the case may be) for not entering him for that examination in that syllabus and the parent of the pupil agrees that he should not be so entered; or

(b) the parent of the pupil requests in writing that the pupil should not be entered for that examination or (as the case may be) for that examination in that syllabus.

(3) Paragraph (1) shall not require a Board of Governors to secure that a pupil is entered for any examination in any syllabus for that examination if the Board of Governors has secured that pupil’s entry for another approved public examination in a corresponding syllabus.

(4) For the purposes of paragraph (3), a syllabus for any such examination shall be regarded as corresponding to a syllabus for another such examination if the same course of study is provided at the school concerned in preparation for both syllabuses.

(5) As soon as practicable after determining whether or not to secure the entry of any pupil for an approved public examination in any syllabus for which he is being prepared at the school the Board of Governors of a grant-aided school shall notify the parent of the pupil in writing of its determination in relation to each such syllabus.