Explanatory Memorandum to Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 2003

Background and Policy Objectives

3. One of the main purposes of the Order is to provide the Department of Education with an enabling power to introduce a single common formula for the calculation of school budgets for all schools funded under Local Management of Schools (LMS) arrangements (Articles 3-9).

4. The Order also contains a range of other provisions on education matters which introduce technical or minor amendments to existing legislation. These provisions can be grouped under the following generic headings:-

a)

Best Value in the delivery of Education and Library Board (ELB) services (Articles 13-16);

b)

Improve the operation of certain elements of the education system for the benefit of pupils/parents/ELBs/Department (Articles 20, 21, 23-27, 31 and 37);

c)

Provide for the greater delegation of authority from the Department to ELBs (Articles 29, 30 and 32);

d)

Strengthen elements of children’s rights (Articles 17-19, 34 and 36);

e)

Access to the special education system for pupils from outside Northern Ireland (Article 22); and

f)

Technical amendments (Articles 10, 11, 12 and 38, 28, 33, 35 and Schedule 2, paragraphs 4 and 9).