Education Act 1996

379 Religious education: grant-maintained schools (former county schools and certain new schools)

(1) Subject to section 383, this section applies in relation to a grant-maintained school if—

(a) it was a county school immediately before it became grant-maintained,

(b) it was established in pursuance of proposals published under section 211, or

(c) it was established in pursuance of proposals published under section 212 and neither any trust deed relating to the school nor the statement required by paragraph 8 of Schedule 20 makes provision as to the religious education for pupils at the school.

(2) The provision for religious education for pupils at the school which is required by section 352(1)(a) to be included in the school’s basic curriculum is provision for religious education in accordance with the appropriate agreed syllabus.

(3) That syllabus shall not provide for religious education to be given to pupils at the school by means of any catechism or formulary which is distinctive of a particular religious denomination (but this is not to be taken as prohibiting provision in the syllabus for the study of such catechisms or formularies).

(4) If, in the case of a secondary school so situated that arrangements cannot conveniently be made for the withdrawal of pupils from it in accordance with section 389 to receive religious education elsewhere, the governing body are satisfied—

(a) that the parents of any pupils at the school desire them to receive religious education in the school in accordance with the tenets of a particular religion or religious denomination, and

(b) that satisfactory arrangements have been made for the provision of such education to those pupils in the school, and for securing that the cost of providing such education to those pupils in the school will not fall upon the governing body,

the governing body shall (unless they are satisfied that because of any special circumstances it would be unreasonable to do so) provide facilities for the carrying out of those arrangements.