Education Act 1996

Chapter I Preliminary

350 Meaning of “maintained school” etc. in Part V

(1) In this Part “maintained school” means—

(a) any county or voluntary school,

(b) except where otherwise stated, any maintained special school which is not established in a hospital, and

(c) except so far as that expression has effect in relation to a local education authority, any grant-maintained school.

(2) In this Part “assess” includes examine and test, and related expressions shall be construed accordingly.

351 General duties in respect of the curriculum

(1) The curriculum for a school satisfies the requirements of this section if it is a balanced and broadly based curriculum which—

(a) promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and

(b) prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.

(2) The Secretary of State shall exercise his functions with a view to securing that the curriculum for every maintained school satisfies the requirements of this section.

(3) Every local education authority shall exercise their functions with a view to securing that the curriculum for every maintained school which they maintain satisfies the requirements of this section.

(4) The governing body and head teacher of every maintained school shall exercise their functions with a view to securing that the curriculum for the school satisfies the requirements of this section.

(5) The functions referred to in subsections (2) to (4) include in particular functions conferred by this Part in relation to religious education, religious worship and the National Curriculum.

352 Basic curriculum for every maintained school

(1) The curriculum for every maintained school shall comprise a basic curriculum which includes—

(a) provision for religious education for all registered pupils at the school (in accordance with such of the provisions of sections 376 to 381 as apply in relation to the school),

(b) a curriculum for all registered pupils at the school of compulsory school age (known as “the National Curriculum”) which meets the requirements of section 353,

(c) in the case of a secondary school, provision for sex education for all registered pupils at the school, and

(d) in the case of a special school, provision for sex education for all registered pupils at the school who are provided with secondary education.

(2) Subsection (1)(a) does not apply in the case of a maintained special school (provision as to religious education in special schools being made by regulations under section 342(6)).

(3) In this Act “sex education” includes education about—

(a) Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and

(b) any other sexually transmitted disease.