Education (No. 2) Act 1986

Reports and meetings

30 Governors' annual report to parents

(1) The articles of government for every county, voluntary and maintained special school shall provide for it to be the duty of the governing body to prepare, once in every school year, a report (" the governors' report") containing—

(a) a summary of the steps taken by the governing body in the discharge of their functions during the period since their last report; and

(b) such other information as the articles may require.

(2) The articles of government for every such school shall, in particular, require the governors' report—

(a) to be as brief as is reasonably consistent with the requirements as to its contents;

(b) where there is an obligation on the governing body (by virtue of section 31 of this Act) to hold an annual parents' meeting—

(i) to give details of the date, time and place for the next such meeting and its agenda ;

(ii) to indicate that the purpose of that meeting will be to discuss both the governors' report and the discharge by the governing body, the head teacher and the local education authority of their functions in relation to the school; and

(iii) to report on the consideration which has been given to any resolutions passed at the previous such meeting;

(c) to give the name of each governor and indicate whether he is a parent, teacher or foundation governor or was co-opted or otherwise appointed as a governor or is an ex officio governor;

(d) to say, in the case of an appointed governor, by whom he was appointed;

(e) to give, in relation to each governor who is not an ex officio governor, the date on which his term of office comes to an end;

(f) to name, and give the address of, the chairman of the governing body and their clerk;

(g) to give such information as is available to the governing body about arrangements for the next election of parent governors;

(h) to contain a financial statement—

(i) reproducing or summarising the latest financial statement provided for the governing body by the local education authority (by virtue of paragraph (a) of section 29(1) of this Act);

(ii) indicating, in general terms, how any sum made available to the governing body fey the authority (by virtue of paragraph (b) of that section), in the period covered by the report, was used; and

(iii) giving details of the application of any gifts made to the school in that period;

(i) to give, in the case of a secondary school, such information in relation to public examinations as is required to be published by virtue of section 8(5) of the 1980 Act;

(j) to describe what steps have been taken by the governing body to develop or strengthen the school's links with the community (including links with the police); and

(k) to draw attention to the information made available by the governing body in accordance with the regulations made under section 20 of this Act.

(3) The articles of government for every such school shall—

(a) enable the governing body to produce their report in such language or languages (in addition to English) as they consider appropriate ; and

(b) require them to produce it in such language or languages (in addition to English and any other language in which the governing body propose to produce it) as the local education authority may direct.

(4) The articles of government for every such school shall provide for it to be the duty of the governing body of any such school to take such steps as are reasonably practicable to secure that—

(a) the parents of all registered pupils at the school and all persons employed at the school are given (free of charge) a copy of the governors' report;

(b) copies of the report are available for inspection (at all reasonable times and free of charge) at the school; and

(c) where there is an obligation on the governing body (by virtue of section 31 of this Act) to hold an annual parents' meeting, copies of the report to be considered at that meeting are given to parents not less than two weeks before that meeting.

31 Annual parents' meeting

(1) Subject to subsections (7) and (8) below, the articles of government for every county, voluntary and maintained special school shall provide for it to be the duty of the governing body to hold a meeting once in every school year (" the annual parents' meeting ") which is open to—

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

(b) the head teacher ; and

(c) such other persons as the governing body may invite.

(2) The purpose of the meeting shall be to provide an opportunity for discussion of—

(a) the governors' report; and

(b) the discharge by the governing body, the head teacher and the local education authority of their functions in relation to the school.

(3) No person who is not a parent of a registered pupil at the school may vote on any question put to the meeting.

(4) The articles of government for every such school shall provide—

(a) for the proceedings at any annual parents' meeting to be under the control of the governing body ;

(b) for any annual parents' meeting, at which the required number of parents of registered pupils at the school are present, to be entitled to pass (by a simple majority) resolutions on any matters which may properly be discussed at the meeting ;

(c) for it to be the duty of the governing body—

(i) to consider any resolution which is duly passed at such a meeting and which they consider is a matter for them;

(ii) to send to the head teacher a copy of any such resolution which they consider is a matter for him; and

(iii) to send to the local education authority a copy of any such resolution which they consider is a matter for the authority ; and

(d) for it to be the duty of the head teacher, and of the local education authority, to consider any such resolution a copy of which has been sent to him, or them, by the governing body and to provide the governing body with a brief comment on it (in writing) for inclusion in their next governors' report.

(5) The articles of government for every county, controlled and maintained special school shall provide for any question whether any person is to be treated as the parent of a registered pupil at the school, for the purposes of any provision of the articles relating to the annual parents' meeting, to be determined by the local education authority.

(6) The articles of government for every aided or special agreement school shall provide for any such question to be determined by the governing body.

(7) The articles of government for every special school established in a hospital shall provide that where the governing body are of the opinion that it would be impracticable to hold an annual parents' meeting in a particular school year they may refrain from holding such a meeting in that year.

(8) The articles of government for every county, voluntary and maintained special school (other than a special school established in a hospital), the proportion of registered pupils at which who are boarders is, or is likely to be, at least fifty per cent., shall provide that where—

(a) the governing body are of the opinion that it would be impracticable to hold an annual parents' meeting in a particular school year; and

(b) at least fifty per cent, of the registered pupils at the school are boarders at the time when the governing body form that opinion ;

they may refrain from holding such a meeting in that year.

(9) In subsection (4)(b) above " the required number", in relation to any school, means any number equal to at least twenty per cent, of the number of registered pupils at the school.

32 Reports by governing body and head teacher

(1) The articles of government for every county, voluntary and maintained special school shall provide—

(a) for the governing body to furnish to the local education authority such reports in connection with the discharge of their functions as the authority may require (either on a regular basis or from time to time); and

(b) for the head teacher to furnish to the governing body or (as the case may be) local education authority such reports in connection with the discharge of his functions as the governing body or authority may so require.

(2) The articles of government for every aided school shall provide—

(a) for the local education authority to notify the governing body of any requirement of a kind mentioned in subsection (l)(b) above which is imposed by them on the head teacher; and

(b) for the head teacher to furnish the governing body with a copy of any report which he makes in complying with the requirement.