7.Section 1 provides an overview of the requirements that a local authority will have to comply with before proceeding with a proposed change to a school that requires consultation. The list of relevant proposals that require the consultation process to be undertaken are detailed in schedule 1. The procedural requirements are set out in detail in the subsequent sections.
8.For the purposes of a proposal described in paragraph 10 of schedule 1 to the Act (discontinuance of a further education centre), a further education centre that is managed by a local authority is also deemed to be a “school”. The consultation requirements that this Act places on a local authority will apply in circumstances where an authority is proposing to close such a centre.