School Inspections Act 1996

Religious education

23 Inspection of religious education

(1) It shall be the duty of the governing body of—

(a) any voluntary school, or

(b) any grant-maintained school,

in which denominational education is given to any pupils to secure that that education is inspected under this section.

(2) It shall be the duty of the governing body of—

(a) any voluntary school, or

(b) any grant-maintained school falling within subsection (3),

to secure that the content of the school’s collective worship is inspected under this section.

(3) A grant-maintained school falls within this subsection if—

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

(b) it was established in pursuance of proposals published under section 212 of the [1996 c. 56.] Education Act 1996 (proposals by promoters) and either—

(i) any trust deed relating to the school, or

(ii) the statement required by paragraph 8 of Schedule 20 to that Act,

makes provision as to religious education for pupils at the school, or

(c) it is a school in respect of which there are approved under section 261 of that Act (approval of proposed alterations etc.) proposals for the required provision for religious education to be provision for religious education in accordance with the tenets of a particular religion or religious denomination.

(4) In this Act “denominational education”, in relation to a school, means any religious education which—

(a) is required by section 352(1)(a) of the Education Act 1996 to be included in the school’s basic curriculum, but

(b) is not required by any enactment to be given in accordance with an agreed syllabus;

and in this section—

(i) “the required provision for religious education” means the provision for religious education for pupils at the school which is required as mentioned in paragraph (a) above, and

(ii) references to collective worship are references to collective worship required by section 385 of that Act.

(5) An inspection under this section shall be conducted by a person chosen by—

(a) the foundation governors, in the case of a controlled school; and

(b) the governing body, in any other case.

(6) The person chosen need not be a registered inspector.

(7) Inspections under this section shall be carried out at such intervals as may be prescribed; and in prescribing the intervals the Secretary of State may make provision as to the period within which the first inspection under this section with respect to a school is to begin.

(8) It shall be the general duty of a person conducting an inspection under this section—

(a) if the inspection is conducted by virtue of subsection (1), to report on the quality of the denominational education provided by the school for pupils to whom denominational education is given by the school, or

(b) if the inspection is conducted by virtue of subsection (2), to report on the content of the school’s collective worship,

and any such person may report on the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils at the school.

(9) A person conducting an inspection under this section may do so with the assistance of such other persons chosen by him as are in his opinion fit and proper persons for carrying out the inspection.

(10) Schedule 4 to this Act makes further provision with respect to inspections under this section.