The Annual Parents' Meeting (Exemptions) (Wales) Regulations 2005

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations, made under section 33(3) of the Education Act 2002, provide for school governing bodies to be exempt from the general requirement to hold an annual parents' meeting (“APM”) in certain circumstances. The Regulations come into force on 31 October 2005.

Regulation 2 revokes the Education (Annual Parents' Meetings) (Wales) Regulations 1999.

The circumstances in which a governing body is exempt from the requirement to hold an APM are as follows:

Regulation 4— if, in the case of a community special or foundation special school, the school is established in a hospital or the school is a maintained boarding school and the governing body considers it would be impractical to hold an APM;

Regulation 5— if the school has been inspected by Estyn and a parents' meeting has been held to discuss the inspector’s report before the governing body draws up its action plan;

Regulation 6— if the governing body has held a meeting or series of meetings to which all parents have been invited, which has or (as the case may be) have been attended by three or more governors and parents have had the opportunity to discuss the past and future conduct of the school;

Regulation 7— if the governing body gives to parents with its Report a notice asking parents to respond within not less than 7 days if they wish the governing body to hold the APM and the parents of fewer than 5% of pupils respond.

Regulation 8 disapplies the exemptions in regulations 5, 6 and 7 if no APM is held in the preceding year or if the governing body receives a written request from the parents of 5% or more of the registered pupils for there to be such a meeting.

A regulatory appraisal has been prepared and placed on the National Assembly for Wales website (www.wales.gov.uk). Copies can be obtained from the Welsh Assembly Government Schools Management Division, Crown Buildings, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ.