Part 3

Maintained schools
Chapter 1

Government of maintained schools

Responsibility for fixing term and holiday dates in Wales
32A
1
A local authority in Wales must determine the term dates for each community, voluntary controlled or community special school or maintained nursery school in its area.
2
A governing body of a foundation or voluntary aided school in Wales (a “relevant governing body”) must determine the term dates for its school.
3
In exercising its functions under subsection (1), a local authority must co-operate and co-ordinate with—
a
each relevant governing body in its area, and
b
every other local authority in Wales,
to ensure that the term dates determined are the same (or as similar as can be) for every maintained school in Wales.
4
In exercising its functions under subsection (2), a relevant governing body must co-operate and co-ordinate with—
a
the local authority, and
b
every other relevant governing body in the local authority's area,
to ensure that the term dates determined are the same (or as similar as can be) for every maintained school in Wales.
5
Each local authority in Wales must notify the Welsh Ministers of the term dates which have been determined for a school year in respect of all the maintained schools in its area.
6
The Welsh Ministers may by regulations make provision about the requirements of notification under subsection (5) including, in particular, provision about—
a
the form and content of notifications;
b
the period in which notification must be given;
c
the procedure for notification.
7
A local authority or a relevant governing body may alter the term dates which have been notified to the Welsh Ministers only if all the parties mentioned in subsection (8) agree to the alteration.
8
The parties are—
a
the local authority,
b
each relevant governing body in the local authority's area, and
c
the Welsh Ministers.
9
In this section—
- “
maintained school
” means a school in Wales which is a community, foundation or voluntary school, a community special school or a maintained nursery school;
- “
term dates
” means the dates on which the school terms and holidays are to begin and end.
Ss. 32A-32C inserted (12.5.2014 for specified purposes, 14.7.2014 in so far as not already in force) by Education (Wales) Act 2014 (anaw 5), ss. 42, 50(2); S.I. 2014/1605, art. 2(a)