Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002

36 Education: general

(1) For the purposes of section 13 of the Education Act 1996 (c. 56) (general responsibility of local education authority) a resident of an accommodation centre shall not be treated as part of the population of a local education authority’s area.

(2) A child who is a resident of an accommodation centre may not be admitted to a maintained school or a maintained nursery (subject to section 37).

(3) But subsection (2) does not prevent a child’s admission to a school which is—

(a) a community special school or a foundation special school, and

(b) named in a statement in respect of the child under section 324 of the Education Act 1996 (c. 56) (special educational needs).

(4) In subsections (2) and (3)—

(a) “maintained school” means a maintained school within the meaning of section 20(7) of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 (c. 31) (definition), and

(b) “maintained nursery” means a facility for nursery education, within the meaning of section 117 of that Act, provided by a local education authority.

(5) The following shall not apply in relation to a child who is a resident of an accommodation centre (subject to section 37)—

(a) section 86(1) and (2) of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 (parental preference),

(b) section 94 of that Act (appeal),

(c) section 19 of the Education Act 1996 (education out of school),

(d) section 316(2) and (3) of that Act (child with special educational needs to be educated in mainstream school), and

(e) paragraphs 3 and 8 of Schedule 27 to that Act (special education needs: making of statement: parental preference).

(6) The power of the Special Educational Needs Tribunal under section 326(3) of the Education Act 1996 (appeal against content of statement) is subject to subsection (2) above.

(7) A person exercising a function under this Act or the Education Act 1996 shall (subject to section 37) secure that a child who is a resident of an accommodation centre and who has special educational needs shall be educated by way of facilities provided under section 29(1)(f) of this Act unless that is incompatible with—

(a) his receiving the special educational provision which his learning difficulty calls for,

(b) the provision of efficient education for other children who are residents of the centre, or

(c) the efficient use of resources.

(8) A person may rely on subsection (7)(b) only where there is no action—

(a) which could reasonably be taken by that person or by another person who exercises functions, or could exercise functions, in respect of the accommodation centre concerned, and

(b) as a result of which subsection (7)(b) would not apply.

(9) An accommodation centre is not a school within the meaning of section 4 of the Education Act 1996 (definition); but—

(a) the School Inspections Act 1996 (c. 57) shall apply to educational facilities provided at an accommodation centre as if the centre were a school (for which purpose a reference to the appropriate authority shall be taken as a reference to the person (or persons) responsible for the provision of education at the accommodation centre),

(b) section 329A of the Education Act 1996 (review or assessment of educational needs at request of responsible body) shall have effect as if—

(i) an accommodation centre were a relevant school for the purposes of that section,

(ii) a child for whom education is provided at an accommodation centre under section 29(1)(f) were a registered pupil at the centre, and

(iii) a reference in section 329A to the responsible body in relation to an accommodation centre were a reference to any person providing education at the centre under section 29(1)(f), and

(c) section 140 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 (c. 21) (learning difficulties: assessment of post-16 needs) shall have effect as if an accommodation centre were a school.

(10) Subsections (1), (2) and (5) shall not apply in relation to an accommodation centre if education is not provided for children who are residents of the centre under section 29(1)(f).

(11) An expression used in this section and in the Education Act 1996 (c. 56) shall have the same meaning in this section as in that Act.