The Education (School Performance Information) (England) Regulations 1993

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations, made under section 22 of the Education Reform Act 1988 and section 16 of the Education (Schools) Act 1992, apply in relation to schools in England. They replace the Education (School Performance Information) Regulations 1992, which are revoked.

The Regulations relate to the collection and publication of information about the performance of schools.

Part I of the Regulations comprises general provisions only.

Part II deals with head teachers; the Regulations impose duties on head teachers to provide information to governing bodies for the purpose of enabling them to comply with their obligations under these Regulations (regulation 5).

Part III contains detailed provisions relating to the provision of information to the Secretary of State.

The governing bodies of schools maintained by a local education authority with pupils at or near the end of the final year of the first key stage (mostly seven year olds) must provide information about the results of statutory National Curriculum assessments to that authority which then transmits that information to the Secretary of State (regulation 6(1) and (2) and Part I of Schedule 1). Grant-maintained schools with pupils in this age group transmit their results to the Secretary of State directly (regulation 6(3)). The governing bodies of all maintained schools and CTCs with pupils at or near the end of the final year of the third key stage (mostly fourteen year olds) provide specified information about their results to the Secretary of State (regulation 6(4) and Part II of Schedule 1).

Regulation 7 contains similar provisions in relation to public examination results and to vocational qualifications or units forming part of such qualifications achieved by pupils at secondary schools, the results of assessments of pupils at or near the end of the third key stage (mostly fourteen year olds) and the rates of unauthorised absence of pupils; the governing bodies of maintained schools and also the proprietors of non-maintained special schools and independent schools with pupils aged 15, 16, 17 or 18 must provide the Secretary of State with specified information about their results (regulation 7 and Schedule 2).

Local education authorities, the governing bodies of grant-maintained schools and the proprietors of independent schools (not providing education for boarders only) must provide the Secretary of State with information about unauthorised absence (regulation 8 and Schedule 3).

Part IV contains provisions relating to the publication of information.

The governing bodies of secondary schools and primary schools with pupils in the final year of the second key stage are under a duty to provide parents and others with information about secondary school performance (regulation 9).

Primary school governing bodies and local education authorities are also under a duty to publish information about primary schools in their area and in England (regulation 10).

Finally, the governing bodies of schools with pupils aged 15 must publish information about the performance of schools and institutions within the further education sector with pupils aged 16, 17 and 18 (regulation 11).