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Duties , reports , appointments and complaints

11Duties of education authority and headteacher to a Parent Council etc

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(1)An education authority are to give advice and information to a Parent Council established for a school in their area when the council reasonably requests it from them on any matter.

(2)An education authority are to take such steps as appear to them to be appropriate to ensure that the headteacher and staff of each school in their area–

(a)are available to give advice and information to a Parent Council established for the school on what is being done by those managing the school to promote parental involvement in education there, and

(b)in giving such advice and information act in a manner consistent with the authority’s duties under this Act.

(3)In addition to giving advice and information in terms of subsection (2)(a), the headteacher of a school must, if requested to do so by a Parent Council established for that school, give advice to the council on any matter falling within the headteacher’s area of responsibility.

(4)An education authority are, in respect of each financial year, to determine for a Parent Council established for a school in their area, an allocation of such money within the authority’s budget as appears to the authority, after consultation with the council, reasonably to be required by the council for meeting–

(a)its administrative expenses (including, without prejudice to that generality, any expenses incurred by virtue of section 8(10)(b)),

(b)the expenses of training its members, and

(c)its other outgoings in carrying out the functions assigned it by or by virtue of this Act.

(5)An education authority may provide a Parent Council established for a school in their area with services or accommodation.

(6)An education authority are to inform a Parent Council established for a school in their area about the school’s arrangements for consultation between parents and teachers; and without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (b) of section 8(1), the council may make representations under that paragraph, concerning those arrangements, to the authority or to the headteacher.

(7)Where (whether or not under that paragraph)–

(a)an education authority receive representations from a Parent Council established for a school in their area, the authority are to have regard to the representations (in so far as it is reasonable and practicable to do so) in carrying out their functions and are to reply to the council, or

(b)a school’s headteacher receives representations from the Parent Council of the school, the headteacher is to have regard to the representations (in so far as it is reasonable and practicable to do so) in carrying out the duties of that post and is to reply to the council.