Section 31 Planning the local curriculum (section 33J of the Learning and Skills Act 2000)
98.The Welsh Ministers’ decision as to which courses of study to include within a local curriculum under section 33A of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 will be heavily dependent upon local educational capacity. There will be little point in including courses that local schools and further education institutions are not geared up to deliver.
99.Accordingly, this section requires those responsible for delivering 16 to 18 education to assist the Welsh Ministers in planning the local curriculum or curricula for a particular local education authority area.
100.Subsection (1) specifies that the following people must assist the Welsh Ministers in this regard:
the local education authority for whose area the particular local curriculum or curricula is to be formed;
the governing body and head teacher of any secondary school maintained by that authority;
the governing body and principal of an institution within the further education sector situated in that authority’s area.
101.Subsection (2) defines “planning the local curriculum or curricula” as the process by which the Welsh Ministers decide which courses of study to include in a local curriculum. Subsection (3) provides for the Welsh Ministers to issue guidance and directions to the bodies specified in subsection (1) in connection with their duty to assist the Welsh Ministers under this section.