The Westminster Education Action Zone Order 2000

Citation and Commencement

1.  This Order may be cited as the Westminster Education Action Zone Order 2000 and shall come into force on 1st May 2000.

Interpretation

2.  In this Order—

“partners” means those persons listed in Schedule 1 to this Order; and

“zone school” means a school listed in Schedule 2 to this Order.

Constitution of education action zone

3.  The schools listed in Schedule 2 to this Order shall constitute collectively an education action zone under the name of the Westminster Education Action Zone (“the zone”) for the purposes of Chapter III of Part I of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

Education Action Forum

4.  There shall be an Education Action Forum for the zone to be known as the Westminster Education Action Forum (“the Forum”), the membership of which shall include—

(a) one person appointed by the governing body of each zone school, unless any such governing body choose not to make such an appointment;

(b) either one or two persons appointed by the Secretary of State; and

(c) persons appointed by each partner, in the numbers specified in Schedule 1, unless any partner chooses not to make any such appointment.

5.  The Forum may at any time appoint up to twenty additional members, chosen from any or all of the following groups—

(a) persons representing the interests of businesses who give support to the zone;

(b) parents of children who are registered pupils at the zone schools;

(c) persons representing the interests of community groups or of voluntary sector organisations or both in the area served by the zone schools;

(d) persons representing the interests of staff who are employed at zone schools;

(e) persons with expertise in the education field, who live or work in the area served by the zone schools;

(f) persons who appear to the Forum to be able to further the improvement of standards at zone schools.

Disqualification for membership of the Forum

6.  Articles 7 to 9 shall have effect for the purpose of prescribing the circumstances and cases in which a person is to be disqualified for holding, or continuing to hold, office as a member of the Forum.

Disqualification for membership of the Forum—bankruptcy etc.

7.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this article, a person shall be disqualified for holding, or for continuing to hold, office as a member of the Forum if he has been adjudged bankrupt or has made a composition or arrangement with his creditors; and a member, on becoming so disqualified, shall give written notice of the fact to the secretary to the Forum.

(2) Where a person is disqualified by reason of his having been adjudged bankrupt, that disqualification shall cease—

(a) unless the bankrupt order made against that person is previously annulled, on his discharge from bankruptcy; and

(b) if the bankruptcy order is so annulled, on the date of the annulment.

(3) Where a person is disqualified by reason of his having made a composition or arrangement with his creditors and he pays his debts in full, the disqualification shall cease on the date on which the payment is completed and in any other case it shall cease on the expiration of three years from the date on which the terms of the deed of composition or arrangement are fulfilled.

Disqualification for membership of the Forum—criminal convictions

8.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2) a person shall be disqualified for holding, or for continuing to hold, office as a member of the Forum if—

(a) within five years before his appointment would otherwise have taken effect or since his appointment, he has been convicted, whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, of any offence and has had passed on him a sentence of imprisonment (whether suspended or not) for a period of not less than three months without the option of a fine;

(b) within twenty years before his appointment would otherwise have taken effect, he has been convicted as aforesaid and has had passed on him a sentence of imprisonment for a period of more than two and a half years; or

(c) he has at any time been convicted as aforesaid and has had passed on him a sentence of imprisonment of not less than five years.

(2) For the purposes of this article there shall be disregarded any conviction by or before a court outside the United Kingdom of an offence in respect of conduct which, if it had taken place in any part of the United Kingdom, would not have constituted an offence under the law in force in that part of the United Kingdom.

Disqualification—absence from meetings

9.  Any member of the Forum who, without the consent of the Forum, has failed to attend the meetings thereof for a continuous period of six months beginning with the date of a meeting shall, on the expiry of that period, be disqualified for continuing to be a member of the Forum without prejudice however, to his re-appointment.

Removal from office by Forum

10.  A member of the Forum may be removed from office by the Forum in the following circumstances—

(a) in the case of a member who was a governor of a zone school at the time he was appointed to the Forum pursuant to article 4(a), if that person ceases to be a governor at that zone school;

(b) in the case of any member appointed pursuant to article 4(a), if the school whose governing body appointed the member closes or ceases to form part of the education action zone;

(c) in the case of a member appointed by a partner pursuant to article 4(c), if the partner which appointed the member ceases to be a partner;

(d) in the case of a member appointed pursuant to article 4(c) by a partner which is a company or a charity, if the company or charity which appointed the member is dissolved; or in the case of a member appointed by a partner which is any other body, if that body ceases to exist;

(e) in the case of a member appointed pursuant to article 5, if the Forum decides that the member in question no longer meets the description set out in the paragraph under which he was appointed.

Chairman’s tenure of office

11.  The chairman of the Forum elected in accordance with paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 to the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, shall hold office for one year from the date of his election (unless he resigns his office earlier), without prejudice to his eligibility to be re-elected for a further such period.

Estelle Morris

Minister of State,

Department of Education and Employment

10th April 2000